Hail to the (Zero) Queen: Assault on Albion
by BeanCorn
Summary: (Season 2) War has come to the nation of Tristain, and has been ruthlessly pushed back by Kerrigan, the Tristain Ghost Corps, and the Herald of the Void, Louise Valliere. Enemies on all sides seek their downfall and defeat, and not all are terrestrial in origin. The long-awaited series returns! M rating due to extreme violence, strong sexual content, crude language, blood/gore.
1. A Letter to my Readers

**A/N: Time for me to set a few things in stone before I premiere the actual series.**

**Kerrigan in this story is a far different Kerrigan then what was displayed in Brood War and Wings of Liberty. This is why I wrote a note saying Kerrigan and the Zerg were OOC and balanced.**

**I can explain this change in function in a few ways, first of which was the Xel'Naga beacon that was deployed against Kerrigan at the Battle of Char, in ADDITION to the summoning ritual that Louise performed and completed with Kerrigan. The pacifying effect, in addition to effects of the Xel'Naga artifact, attributes to Kerrigan's loyalty and respect for both authority and Louise.**

**As it turns out, several traits that I brought into the series were in fact replicated in Heart of the Swarm with the Primal Zerg. Before the Heart of the Swarm's release, I caught a lot of flak for my portrayal of a somewhat submissive Kerrigan. Mainly because Kerrigan was only seen as a heartless villain previously in the series by many, while I attempted to bring a sense of heart and emotion to her.**

**I have not used biomass as a standard resource for the Zerg (go on canon trolls, troll me) simply because I want to write a strong series, rather than focus on the little canon details. My first season's first three episodes were a sham, and I'm not afraid to admit it. I sucked back then. I've improved though, and I want to bring my take on the storyline to you, the reader.**

**I have gotten a lot of troll guest reviews, especially later on. I have one simple request, if you are going to criticize my hard work, at least GIVE specific reasons or entries in what I do wrong. If you cannot do so, I do not expect your responses. I can take criticism just fine, but blind hate and trolling is not something I tolerate. Period.**

**That being said, I must take my beta-readers completely with their assistance as of late making sure the first chapter was one I could post properly on the site coming up soon. That being said, give thanks to Yuri-Hime-Chan for doing so!**

**I hereby debut the Second Season of Hail to the (Zero) Queen: Assault on Albion. =)**


	2. Coronation

**A/N: IT'S HERE! Season 2 of Hail to the (Zero) Queen starts, RIGHT NOW!**

**IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HttZQ: LEAGUE OF EXTROADINARY FAIRIES, GO READ IT BEFORE THIS! DO IT NOW!**

**I am so proud to present my story to you all, my readers, both new and old alike**

**Thanks! Enjoy =)**

**Disclaimer: I own bloody nothing that is listed here: The music used, the game Starcraft and any content from it; and the familiar of Zero/Zero No Tsukaima series and any content within it. **

Important Definitions:

*SMASH* = Sound

"I" = Normal Speech

'_I wonder.'_ = Thoughts, or flashbacks

'I wonder' = Telepathy

* * *

Kerrigan found herself running into the Valkyrie after hearing the chime from the ship's communications system. She vaulted over chairs and got to the main console, to see she had established a connection to a communication buoy not far from Mar Sara where all of this began four years earlier. She quickly left a small burst message as fast as she could speak it out, and sent a simple transmission to the Hyperion:

"I'm Alive Jim. And Safe. Unknown medieval human world, Swarm is here, safe too." Kerrigan hit the send button, nearly breaking the console.

"Come on come on come on," –Message sent successfully! - "YES!"

Kerrigan shook her head, '_I need to tell Louise what has happened!'_

* * *

**One week after the events of the Season One Interlude**

**Tristain Magic Academy-Halkeginia**

Dame Jessica de Tarbes found herself meditating on the things Kerrigan had taught her during their first formal training session.

Control.

Focus.

Two simple words with dramatic implications for the young Acolyte in training. Control and focus applied not just to her mind and body, but to her use of firearms and technology she would handle in the field. Loss of either could result in either her own maiming or death; or worse the same fate for her sisters in arms. She couldn't fail Kerrigan, or her family, not now, not ever.

Yet her mind still wandered, cracking the clay pots she had been holding in mid air for half an hour with a resounding *SMASH*. Jessica sighed and took inventory; she had almost met her best time, Kerrigan wouldn't be pleased.

'_I wonder how the ceremony is going for Kerrigan right now._'

* * *

**Tristain-Palace**

Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char, the Queen of Blades, found herself in the bath with Crown Princess Henrietta de Tristain, as both got cleaned up for the latter's big day.

The actual Royal bath was more like a chamber in scope, with gorgeous aquamarine infused tiles across the walls and ceiling, making a dome shaped room in the Royal Residences. The water was always a perfect color, with a small magically powered Jacuzzi type tub off to the side. It was a small bastion of paradise for the incoming Queen, away from the stress and troubles of leadership.

"Nervous Your Highness?"

Henrietta giggled her response, "More then you can possibly imagine."

Kerrigan smiled brightly, "A fair answer, I'll let that one go for now. In any case; with your recent behavior you've earned my respect Your Highness."

The Princess gave a sign of fake surprise, "The legendary Queen of Blades giving humble respect for a human? I would never have imagined such a thing!" Kerrigan gave her a splash in annoyance, one which she gladly returned.

Kerrigan replied back, "To be honest, I had doubts that you could pull it off. The battle for Tarbes, dealing with Albion. After everything that has happened though, it's safe to say you'll make it through just fine."

Kerrigan continued, "I always wanted to be a Princess when I was a little girl, before I lost my parents. Twenty something years later and I am going to be the bodyguard of one as she ascends to the throne. Not a bad transition all things considered." Henrietta let a small smile escape her lips, she was grateful she found such a close ally in Kerrigan.

Kerrigan wasn't quite finished yet however, "I'm glad things worked out the way they did, but I must raise my concern with a public coronation once again. We are in war time; such a public event will only cause problems for us, mostly security related ones."

"You have that under control I assume?"

Kerrigan scowled, "Well, yes, but I don't think it's a good idea nonetheless. I can't account for every little possibility Your Highness. It's those possibilities that are making me extremely nervous, you may have bodyguards but not a specialized group trained specifically for countering threats against you. Your only defense when you are in the middle of the cathedral will be me."

Henrietta closed her eyes, "I know the dangers Kerrigan, and I'm willing to risk it."

Kerrigan sighed rather loudly, "As you wish Your Highness."

* * *

**Tristainia - Cathedral**

The Honor Guard stood at attention as Crown Princess Henrietta de Tristain slowly marched down the main aisle in the center of Tristain's greatest religious worship center. Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char, The Shield of Tristain marched directly behind her, carrying the standard of the Tristain Royal Family high in the air, along with a set of plate armor adorned with custom heraldry displaying the Royal Seal and the Symbol of the Shield, the Royal Champion's personal badge.

The actual badge was a white dragon laying facing the upper rim of a kite shield, with its wings extended, while two Halberds were laid diagonally behind the shield itself. The bladed edges of said Halberds were faced outwards towards the sides of the shield. Kerrigan was impressed with the sheer artistic talent and skills that had been required to design and maintain such a piece, both armor and heraldry. The building itself was in a whole other league however.

The Tristain National Cathedral was a gorgeous example of fantastic architecture built to last. The walls, floors, and ceilings had been infused with ludicrously powerful wards and spells to keep them not only stable, but resistant to nearly any kind of effect that a mage could deliver upon it. Nothing short of a category five hurricane running across the cathedral would destroy the actual structure.

Many influential characters were present, including all of the Dukes and Duchesses of Tristain, and several high ranking military officials and other associated nobles. Louise and her sisters were also in attendance, all in formal wear. Kerrigan also noticed several staff members from the Academy had spots in the crowd as well, '_Good of them to make it.'_

Henrietta and Kerrigan marched towards the altar, where the current Regent, Cardinal Mazarin stood and greeted the Princess with a deep kneel as she reached the altar. Kerrigan remembered her role and immediately marched behind the altar, to where the Standard would be placed prior to the actual coronation itself. Religious references and oaths were made as Kerrigan scanned the crowd, looking for potential problems. Her focus was now toward the protection of the heir to the throne and any threats to her.

'Erebus, any suspicious activity outside?'

'There are some odd hoodlums nearby, but we've got them in a serious crossfire if they try anything. No enemy air units in the area, we have aircraft patrolling at various altitudes along with Zerg Overseers looking for magic or Psionic signatures.'

'Carry on Erebus. Siesta, how are things on your end?'

'We have an emergency response team ready to scramble on a moment's notice should something go wrong, we have vehicles to transport her Majesty to the palace or failing that, a nearby Medevac drop ship for extraction. We also have Diamondbacks hiding in a barn ready to rush out to escort the new Queen.'

'Good, Kerrigan out.' They were as ready as they could be, but Kerrigan felt killing intent come from one side of the cathedral, and it was only becoming stronger.

'_That is not a good feeling I'm getting.'_

'Erebus, who is on the Northern side of the cathedral that registered a red flag in our spy network?'

'There isn't anyone there Mistress, whoever this person is, they either switched places with someone, or we missed them entirely.' The Erebus had a penchant for never missing any detail, no matter how small or insignificant.

'Which leaves us with the former?'

'Precisely Mistress. You are going to have to dig into their minds.'

Kerrigan sighed silently_, 'I hate this part of the job._' She dove into the minds around the killing intent and began to look through their memories. Some were typical, while others were disgusting, either nobles in excess or with an uncontrollable libido. The Erebus took notes of what she saw from his own perspective, to make sure she didn't miss anything important.

She stopped when she saw the view of a detonator in one man's hand high up, in the nosebleed section, 'Mistress, it looks like an old detonator for plastic explosive, might be a dead man's switch.'

'Can you jam the signal Siesta?'

'Already on it,' a brief moment that felt like an eternity passed, 'There! All wireless signals are down; we are working on message runners only now.'

'Shit! I think it's about to go down, get everyone ready to move the moment I give the word!' Kerrigan looked at the man through the slit in her helmet, and saw as he pushed the button-

-And nothing happened.

The man began to fiddle with the detonator, clearly panicking when he drew a flintlock pistol from his jacket, 'GUN! Have the emergency response unit hit them now!'

Kerrigan realized it was her only line during the ceremony, "People of Tristain! I present to you Queen Henrietta I of Tristain!" Massive applause erupted from the crowd as the clearly amateur assassin leveled the Flintlock towards Queen Henrietta. Time seemed to slow down as Kerrigan then bounded over to the newly crowned Queen as the Flintlock fired. The pistol sent a .75 caliber lead ball speeding towards where the Queen's heart would've been had Kerrigan not shoved her out of the way, taking the round to the throat.

Kerrigan was winded by the heavy projectile as it hit her, but kept going as she hoisted the Queen into her left arm as she drew Delflinger into her right, and ran out the door towards a modified APC rebuilt into a mobile bunker. Kerrigan jumped in, pushing the Queen ahead of her and into the waiting arms of Siesta and two handpicked Marines.

Siesta saw the blood nearly gushing from Kerrigan's neck, "Shit! Medics, prepare for wounded!"

"_Acknowledged Draco, is the package intact over?"_ Kerrigan was still conscious, and heard Siesta's new call sign in action, and found herself smiling, before she passed out cold.

"Affirmative! We'll meet you at rally point Alpha, out!" Suddenly the bunker found itself under magic fire from the group of supposed homeless that were nearby, forcing all inside to duck. "AMBUSH!" Both the Marine volunteers poked their heads up and opened fire with their C-14's, saturating the area with hypervelocity slugs, as Siesta banged as hard as she could on the crew hatch to get them to speed up. The Hunter Killers that had been burrowed in the garden sprouted up as well, showering the attackers with bone spikes as they were immolated by a fire mage with a rather nasty Triangle class Flamethrower.

Henrietta finally realized what had happened, finding her feet covered in dark, red blood as she found a large noticeable hole in Kerrigan's neck where the musket ball had plowed through. The fact there was no exit wound, complicating things for any healer or doctor. Siesta looked at Kerrigan's slowly clotting gunshot wound, "It feels like the round may have been magically infused Adamantium, there's no way Kerrigan's carapace would be penetrated from something that size." As Henrietta began to heal the wound the wound began to belch smoke and begin to make Kerrigan spasm. The Queen gasped and jumped back, she hadn't seen _that_ before.

"Stop healing Kerrigan your Majesty! It's a trap!" Henrietta listened and backed off, still very much in shock. "We're heading to the Palace now, we are going to give Kerrigan to the medics and we'll take you your chambers under heavy guard." A lucky musket shot bounced off Siesta's Ghost suit and the young Acolyte found herself ducking for cover while the Marines took out the last assassins. "Are you alright Your Majesty?"

Henrietta nodded, as the convoy entered the Palace courtyard. The Marines and Siesta got out of the APC and ran into the castle, while two Medics pulled Kerrigan out of the bunker and took her by stretcher into the castle's infirmary.

She was safer, but not entirely out of danger.

Siesta was in all out panic mode, and rushed into the Palace with her in front and the two Marines to sides and behind, acting as human shields for the Monarch. The guards on duty nearly shot them, but when they saw the newly crowned Queen they joined the convoy heading directly for her chambers.

The Musketeers stationed in the castle only carried flintlocks and magically enhanced magelock muskets, but they got a serious firepower boost from the Marines, who themselves were each carrying a C-14 Impaler Rifle along with a single shot disposable rocket pack. Siesta put up a Psionic shield and immediately began to scan for invisible or cloaked adversaries as she drew out her own AGR-14, and pulled the charging handle back.

She handed her slugthrower to Henrietta, "Use this only as a last resort Your Majesty, it's basically a standard Flintlock, but with 14 shots instead of 1; just aim and shoot." Henrietta nodded, her own hands shaking from the weight of the situation and the sidearm itself.

She wanted to take no chance in discovering any other threats, and ensure that Kerrigan's own heroic action wasn't in vain. The group, now eight in number continued towards the upper floors of the Palace, and seeing fortifications close behind them.

* * *

**Tristain Cathedral**

The entire crowd was in an utter state of panic after the attempted assassination attempt; everyone was either trying to find the culprit or was rushing for the exits in fear. The Marines let them out of the cathedral itself, but kept everyone in a tight perimeter. The nobles and commoners had been separated, with the commoners being searched first, and scanned for powder residue and weapons. They also began searching every nook and cranny of the cathedral, looking for the detonator or pistol that was used. They also began taking fingerprints from the people who had been present, once they found the actual arms used in the attack they could hopefully match them up.

It took ten minutes but the Marines and remaining Royal Guards found the flintlock and detonator, next to a corpse which had been self-immolated, a suicide pill.

Their only suspect had literally gone up in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

**6 Hours Later**

Kerrigan found herself slowly waking up, her vision slowly returning from a colorless blob to her normal, sharpened vision. She sat up, and immediately found herself grabbing a bowl and vomiting into it. After she finished retching she looked into the bowl to see blood, sinew, and bone all mixed up in a nasty acidic slop.

Kerrigan would've retched again had she any more energy (or stomach content) to do so. Not to mention the whole experience of vomiting seemed to hurt her more than help. The smell of Zerg biomass, tissues, and bodily fluid was downright repulsive, and reminded Kerrigan of burning Infestors. The thought put a shiver down her spine, '_That is one memory I don't care to repeat.'_

The former Ghost immediately began to check her surroundings for clues, and discovered she was likely in one of the Palace Guest Rooms, given the dramatic style and flare exhibited across the room. She turned to a waste can that was filled with IV bags and used syringes. '_They sure had to do a lot to fix me up-OUCH!_' When Kerrigan turned her head back she nearly yelped out in pain and fell back. She grabbed a silver platter and used it as a mirror, and saw a nasty, bandaged wound the right side of her neck, just below the jaw line.

"Vhat the helm did this to may?" Kerrigan's voice was distorted not her power, but from the wound and her jaw being wired in a slightly open position. '_Explains why it was so awful throwing up earlier.'_

Kerrigan noticed a Medic walking in with a smile on her face, "How are you today Lady Kerrigan? I see that you're up already."

"Situation report medic, the situation with the Queen and then me, in that order." Her voice had already cleared up, her own accelerated healing already taking care of that as she yanked out the wire keeping her jaw shut, earning a brief look of horror from the young Medic.

"I don't know much other then they found the individual behind the attack, and that you received a neck wound from an enchanted Adamantium musket ball."

Kerrigan felt the wound and realized it had punched deeper then she would've imagined, most Gauss projectiles would go only half that depth. If it had punched all the way through she may have been decapitated by it. She shivered at the thought of seeing her head roll around on the ground.

"Can I get up? I have duties to return to, and the sooner I get to them the better I'll be."

The Medic looked at her incredulously, "You are in no condition to be awake, let alone up and working! It'll be at least a month before you are ready!" Kerrigan's eyes narrowed, earning a noticeable "Eeep!" from the Medic.

'_I ain't sitting around in bed and wait for trouble. I'm going to go find some.'_

Kerrigan activated her own, secondary regeneration and began to patch up the wound with her own power. Her own eyes turned orange as she focused it onto stitching a new subdermal skin layer in addition to muscle tissue. After 3 minutes of this (and seeing the Medic look like she had just seen a Ghost), Kerrigan stood up, and grew her body armor onto her and walked out the door. The medic simply gawked at the sheer display of power, and fainted flat on her face.

* * *

**Queen's Chambers**

The female Marines and Siesta had barricaded the door as soon as they got into Henrietta's new chambers, along with four Musketeers. What surprised them was when Kerrigan knocked, and stuck her head in the room, her scaled skin and hair showing up first.

"Uh what did I miss exactly?"

Siesta found a witty grin and spoke up, "For once, I actually know more then you Sarah. It's a refreshing change of pace."

Kerrigan rolled her eyes, "Can I come in already? I feel like a babbling idiot out here."

Henrietta spoke up, "Let her in, quickly." Siesta nodded and beckoned to Kerrigan, who slipped in and shut the door.

"Well, all things considered it went perfectly. The coronation was a success, and the assassination attempt was foiled."

Henrietta glared at Kerrigan's casual attitude, "I could've died! You looked like you were going to die too! Don't you know how scared I was?!"

Henrietta grabbed her by the shoulders, getting a wince out of Kerrigan, who immediately grabbed the Queen's shoulders, "I knew exactly how scared you were! I know everything you felt, I also felt the attack coming in the final moments of the ceremony. That bullet had your name on it Your Majesty, and in all likelihood it won't be the last."

Henrietta fell silent, she was a monarch, a giant target ripe for the picking by any number of criminal or government organizations. Kerrigan knew more about taking out foreign officials then most people could learn in a lifetime, she was right on every mark so far. It didn't seem like it would be the last time either.

She felt herself begin to tear up and cry, immediately finding solace in Kerrigan's cold, but comforting embrace.

'_Oh Prince Wales . . .'_

* * *

**Palace Gates**

"My name is Dame Louise Le Blanc de La Valliere! I am her Majesty's Knight and confidant! I demand you let me enter the premises!"

The Magic Knights guarding the main gates clearly didn't take her seriously, nor were they interested in defying orders, "These orders come straight from the Head of the Musketeer Squadron and the Royal Champion Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char, and I quote, 'No one is to pass through these gates, anyone who attempts to is to be killed on sight.'"

Louise was stunned, Kerrigan clearly wasn't taking any chances, but she had not had the chance to meet the Musketeer Squadron's head official, so she may be the one overreacting. She couldn't help but feel that something else is going on.

'Sarah? It's Louise, what's going on?'

A noticeable moment passed by and Kerrigan responded, 'Everything is under control, I need you to stay with your family for a little while okay? I need to take care of a few things first, and then we can meet. I'll talk later Louise.'

Louise noticed Kerrigan cut the signal, and she found herself sighing as she walked back to her parents.

Karin Desiree, the Duchess of Valliere and Louise's mother spoke up first, "Is everything okay Louise?"

Louise shrugged, "She didn't say exactly, but I can't help but feel there's something sinister at work."

Karin closed her eyes, "I trust Lady Kerrigan, if she says anything that indicates things are okay, in all likelihood they are. Trust in your trainer young lady!" Louise smiled to her mom, who was holding a small grin of her own.

Karin had been changed immeasurably since meeting Kerrigan just a few weeks earlier, she had rediscovered the warmth she had as a child, before her military days and service to the Crown. Needless to say the effect on her was noticed by just about everyone who ever interacted with the Duchess Valliere on any given day.

Eleanore scowled, "I still don't trust that woman, no matter what she does." Karin glared at her eldest daughter, obviously annoyed with her description of one of Karin's closest friends. Louise couldn't help but laugh, it was just like old times.

It was good to be around her family again.

* * *

**Royal Palace**

Kerrigan sighed out loud; she was getting cabin fever from being stuck in a self imposed cage. Not being able to leave the Queen alone for anything, even a bathroom break was arduous.

"Your Majesty, I've had several Hunter Killers along with Erebi search through the entire castle, looking for any potential threats, cloaked or magically camouflaged and found none at all. All those with potentially suspicious backgrounds have been moved to non-critical duties for the time being. We've done all we can for now, nor can we maintain this forever."

'_That, and I haven't used a bucket to piss in since Antiga Prime'_

"Alright then, so we should stand down from a total lockdown then?"

Kerrigan nodded, "It isn't good publicly to be shut away all the time, especially for a new leader. Reinforcing your security wouldn't be a bad choice though, I can get your Musketeers better weapons and technology in the short term. I would skimp on public events for a week or two though, just to be safe."

"What sort of upgrades can I expect?"

"AGR-14's, slugthrower sidearms, and a few suits of power armor for now. I can't spare any vehicles as we only have about 18 in total so far, nor do we have enough aircraft for you to use yet."

"I'm not sure what all that was you just said, but that should be enough to beef up my protective detail, is there any way you can lend me some Hunter Killers? I know they are naturals at both attack and defending important targets."

Kerrigan nodded, "I can do that as well, two were killed in the ambush, but I still have a pair in reserve. They will keep you safe completely within the Palace Proper, although you may wish to have them stay in restricted areas only. They tend to sneak up on people unintentionally. That or just have them burrow in a garden, they'll sleep until the Erebus or Umbra call for them."

"The second option then, let's end the lockdown, I'm sure there are plenty of people who need to see I am alive and well, the same for you Lady Kerrigan." Henrietta stopped, and then looked back to her, "and Sarah?"

"Yes your Majesty?"

"Thank you for saving my life, again."

Kerrigan smiled, "Anytime your Majesty."

* * *

Louise found herself wandering the Palace Halls, seeing the security level skyrocket the moment she entered the palace itself. She was surprised to see not only virtually no servant activity, but a huge upgrade in armaments, courtesy of Kerrigan.

All the Musketeers closest to the new Queen were armed with assault rifles and slugthrowers, there were even 3 Musketeers fitting into a pair of Marine CMC's and one suit of Firebat armor.

_'Kerrigan is taking no chances, the assassination attempt must have been closer than anyone was letting on. I wonder if Henrietta is okay . . .'_

"Louise Francoise!" Louise turned and saw her childhood friend, now the Queen beckoning to her with a warm smile on her face.

"Your Majesty!" Louise carefully walked in front of the clearly on-edge Musketeers, and embraced Henrietta, who at that point was at the edge of tears. "I was so scared for you, how . . How close was it?"

Henrietta wiped away an anxious tear, "If Kerrigan didn't see what was going on, I wouldn't be here today Louise. She saved me, she saved our people, again! She took a bullet meant for me without much of a second thought. She's a war hero, the Royal Champion, and now my own personal savior, I owe this woman everything."

Louise felt an enormous amount of pride as a noblewoman; by tradition, a familiar's actions also became their master's actions. In essence, the Valliere family would find this fact most delightful; while it was only symbolic, it would only improve her family's influence. Louise got back on subject however, "Where is Sarah? I haven't seen her yet, is she in the infirmary?"

"Shockingly no, she's out leading the investigation with Agnes and several other Musketeers."

Louise's jaw dropped, "Where was she shot? The arm or something?"

"Through her throat, and it was an Adamantium bullet too. Got lodged in her windpipe, it was enchanted to ignite when healing magic was used on it. They were VERY thorough in planning this attack out."

Louise was stunned, "She survived a normally lethal gunshot wound this afternoon, and is out walking around on combat duty literally 8 hours later?" Louise was about to ask if she was human, and realized the futility of such a question.

Henrietta nodded, "Indeed she is, quite the familiar you summoned."

Louise smiled ear to ear, "More like another great friend and mentor then familiar."

The doors to the Royal Chambers opened, both Kerrigan and Dame Milan entered briskly, shutting the door behind them. Kerrigan waved at Louise quickly, before walking up to the new Queen, with Agnes handing the findings of their investigation to Henrietta. She began to read and found herself scowling more and more with each line.

"So what you are telling me is that someone managed to plant enough explosives beneath the cathedral to collapse it, and kill all within?"

Agnes and Kerrigan nervously nodded, "They also snuck a loaded Magelock pistol with an enchanted Adamantium bullet that was meant to incur massive physical damage, even if it didn't kill me outright, so much so that it was designed to actually explode when exposed to healing magics or potions?"

Both investigators swallowed and nodded, "Then the assassin was able to sneak away and consume an immolation pill, destroying all evidence but the devices used once he was pinned down by a Marine team?"

"All accurate Your Majesty."

"What went wrong?"

"Honestly your Majesty, everything that could go wrong did except the point that you are still alive."

"Kerrigan, for how much time did you know the assassin was present, and intended to kill me?"

"I was suspicious of a killer aura in a certain part of the crowd, I checked with the Erebus about potential threats in the corresponding section, none were found. That was the fact that made me believe that someone had been either mind controlled into obeying, or it was a body double. That process took approximately 12 seconds. I was then forced to dive into the minds of all the people in that entire section, which felt like an eternity, but actually only lasted 10 seconds. My thought of him, was actually seeing him hold a wireless detonator in his right hand. I then sent a telepathic message to Siesta, to actively jam all radio frequencies that could be used to set off a bomb such as that. Just 3 seconds after receiving the news she had succeeded he clicked the detonator to set off the bomb itself."

"25 seconds to register a threat and successfully counter it?"Agnes looked at Kerrigan with utter disbelief. '_Is that even possible?'_

"Oh it's quite possible Dame Milan, unfortunately it wasn't over." Agnes looked like she had been hit in the face by a flying fish, "I told Siesta to put the Marine team in position and as I did, he pulled out the pistol and took aim at Henrietta, I called out 'GUN' to Siesta, she sent the team in. I announced your new title, and ran into where he was aiming, shoving you aside and taking the bullet. I then got up and ran out the door with you in my arms, and threw you into the APC, where we were ambushed by a group of homeless mages and marksman. We then drove as fast as we could to the Palace, and got you into your chambers. All in all, the entire operation was completed in just under 90 seconds, not including rushing you into your chambers."

While Henrietta simply nodded, Louise and Agnes simply had their jaws drop.

'_The entire attempt only lasted that short a time?'_

"Casualties?"

"Two Hunter Killers, and a Marine was wounded by the assassin who reloaded the pistol and fired into his shoulder joint. It was also an Adamantium bullet and punched through the vulnerable soft armor. No guests were harmed, and all assailants were killed. If I may say so Your Majesty, we need to accelerate our wartime manufacturing and prepare for an all out conflict sooner rather than later."

"I assume you have some powerful new machines that will help us win the war Kerrigan? I already have the Church breathing down my back as it is."

"I do your Majesty, some of them far beyond what you can possibly imagine."

Henrietta crossed her arms, "I've seen weapons that can wipe battlefields clean of all life and ships that travel the stars, what else is there?"

"How about the rest of the ships and vehicles in my arsenal. The Vulture you've seen me riding is only a reconnaissance and raiding vehicle, I have at least a half dozen other ground vehicles and another half dozen different aircraft at my disposal."

Agnes seemed interested at that, "What sort of roles, not all anti-aircraft I hope."

Kerrigan grinned, "That's just one part, name a role, and I have the vehicle or ship for the job."

"Transport."

"Big or small?"

"Big."

"Hercules Cargo Ship. She's a fast one too, can easily outrun your fastest frigates and even some dragons. Each one will take time to build in quantity however."

"Ground Support?"

"Why don't you all come out to the Starport at Tarbes? I can show you everything I CAN build, in any category, plus the other buildings I couldn't build fast enough last time."

Henrietta raised an eyebrow, "Alright then, we'll find the time. Head back to the Academy with Louise and Siesta. Await my further orders from there. But before then, I have a gift for you Louise Francoise."

Louise perked up, "A gift for me Your Majesty?"

Henrietta nodded, "I had meant to give this to you right after the coronation once we returned the Palace, but now is the best time." Henrietta reached into her closet safe, and pulled out a painfully old book with a lock on the front, similar to an old diary.

Louise seemed stunned, "Is that what I think it is Your Majesty?"

"Most likely Louise Francoise, it is the Founder's Prayer Book, a religious symbol and artifact from the Founder passed down through the Tristain Royal Family. It is said that it contains the incantations for all the Void spells."

Kerrigan's jaw dropped open, "Are you telling me such a powerful artifact actually exists? That, and how did you know Louise wielded the Void?"

Henrietta smiled, "I'm the Queen, and I know _everything_ that happens in my domain, particularly when it comes to the high ranking nobles and royal court." Kerrigan seemed unconvinced, given the dramatic attack on her hours earlier, and gave that impression loud and clear to the both of them.

'_Someone talked, and I'm going to have to squeeze somebody for letting their tongue hang loose.'_

Louise nodded, "Its true Sarah, and thank you Your Majesty." Henrietta gave a kneeling (nigh-groveling) Louise the small, locked book into her open arms.

Kerrigan raised an eyebrow, "I suppose we should get started on figuring out how that thing works."

* * *

**Magic Academy**

**Late Evening**

The new Ghost team sat in Louise's room and began to discuss the upcoming plans for the war, Kerrigan knew that the Acolytes would be nervous, and would need all the support they could get.

"Alright girls, Her Majesty has authorized Ghost Black Ops against Albion in preparation for the coming war. That means our training schedule is going to be accelerated considerably starting tomorrow, vehicle training, weapons handling, and hand to hand combat instruction from yours truly will be part of the curriculum."

"We are going to be focusing on your weapons, the Ghost's main advantage is their use of advanced weapons and covert technology. Our mission will be to hamper the Albion war effort, sow confusion and panic; but most importantly, get human intelligence on enemy operations. We may have super advanced technology, and the Swarm backing up us, but even the Albionese have the ever constant advantage of numbers. Until we can equal them in numbers roughly, we will have to play this extremely carefully."

"Due to our secretive nature, we all have code names for us to go by, both by correspondence and radio. Louise's call sign will be Zero, easy to remember and is fitting. Given her ability to demolish anything and anyone in sight." Smirks escaped from all of them, particularly from Kerrigan's last sentence.

Louise snorted, and rolled her eyes, "You would pick that one Sarah."

"Stow it Acolyte, save your commentary for the end," Kerrigan deadpanned, earning giggles out of the other two present.

"Siesta, since you already have a code name you can keep it, Draco." Siesta smiled, she was excited to get to work, but also to use her own code name as her own little secret identity.

Jessica, I had to think about this for awhile, but in the field you will be called, Chef, since you worked in a restaurant. That and 'Fairy' was both too obvious and wussy of a code name." Jessica put a bizarre grin/scowl combo across her face, earning a chuckle from Kerrigan and the rest of the girls.

"This may be a difficult adventure for you all, but what you are doing will save Tristain, and earn you all the respect of your seniors and your fellow soldiers. I am beyond proud of all of you, now go get some rest, dismissed!"

Louise nodded, while Siesta and Jessica snapped a crisp salute which Kerrigan returned. As everyone went their own separate ways, Louise put a hand on Kerrigan's shoulder, "Can we talk Sarah?"

Kerrigan turned to the young mage and nodded, "What is it Louise?"

"What was going through your head as you saw the attack unfolding this morning?"

Kerrigan sighed, "Honestly, all I knew was that Henrietta needed to be crowned and announced formally and the assassination prevented. Technically, if they had succeeded I could've held the crown as Regent, but I would likely have to give it to someone else, as I have no real noble or royal blood."

"People would've thought it was a power grab."

Kerrigan closed her eyes and nodded, "Exactly, and that is definitely NOT what I want to give the impression of. Something tells me this isn't over yet though."

"What do you mean?"

"I get the nagging feeling Albion wanted me out of the picture, and not the Queen. They don't know much, but if I bought the farm, the Queen might break down and the country would fall apart around her. They don't know they failed yet, which means they likely have a second plan in play. What I want to know, is what that second play may entail."

'_Either way, we will find out soon enough.'_

Xxx

**Holy Romalian Empire-Aquileia**

**Papal Chambers**

Pope Vittorio Serevare, or known by his papal name Pope Victor XXXII, sat in his personal meeting chambers. He was gravely concerned with the military activity that had begun to result in clashes across the Brimic Ocean and on the shores of Tristain.

Romalian generals and tacticians said that after Albion fell (which was a massive loss of face for the Church, given that one of the four royal blood lines founded by Brimir himself was now extinct) that Tristain would fall under their banner rapidly afterwards. They were stunned however to learn that Tristain had not only survived the first wave of attacks, but had outright annihilated them with weapons and forces never seen before in Halkeginia. No country had ever suffered such a massive military defeat in the entire history of the Church's records; not even Founder Brimir's battles against the elves ended that badly.

It was a potential security risk for the Church, not only could Founderism itself become questioned, but Tristain may actually gain enough strength to be considered independent from the Church in its entirety. Not to mention the otherworldly weapons that Romalian possessed were far inferior to the ones Tristain now possessed. It would be an unimaginable nightmare for the Pope to try and reclaim the country; he may be forced to declare a Crusade against the small economic nation.

Vittorio only knew it would breed more war and discontent throughout the continent however. The only descriptions he had were weapons that could create a small sun and destroy all around them; and beasts of war not only intelligent, but capable of horrifying destruction and carnage. What scared him the most was nearly all required no magic whatsoever, making the weapons effectively heretical. While he knew the newly crowned Queen Henrietta had little imperial ambitions, if any at all, that could change if another, more militaristic ruler comes into power.

Yet at the same time, Tristain was desperate to survive against the Albion onslaught. Using potentially heretical creations and weaponry to prevent their own country from falling victim to all the rage that had been building in Albion; it was simple self-preservation. Eventually, Albion would conquer Tristain without those powerful options.

'_It's only a matter of time until Tristain and Albion fight a true war against one another, and Albion may very well lose. Even Germania seems to be unwilling to cross Tristain, now that they have such powerful weapons, beasts, and magics. That is if those so called 'Ghosts' actually use magic, or some infernal power.'_

"Your Holiness, I heard your summons and returned as soon as I could, what are your orders?"

Vittorio turned to the young man who had entered and kneeled in front of him. Julio Chesare was a young teenage Knight and Romalian priest who served directly under the Pope's orders. There was nothing the young man wouldn't do for his faith or for the Pope. That would be a useful loyalty for Vittorio to take advantage of.

"Go to Tristain's Magic Academy and evaluate the Void Magic user that resides there, one Dame Louise Le Blanc de La Valliere. In addition, gather information on her familiar, one Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char, and whatever forces she may possess. Be wary of her however, she knows far more then what she displays."

"Yes Your Holiness," Julio stood up, bowed, and walked out. Vittorio found himself pinching the bridge of his nose, and hoping that it isn't as bad as he thinks it is.

'_I'd say it's time to call in that favor.'_

* * *

**A/N: First chapter is done folks! From here on out I plan on spreading out my chapter releases a little more than I have with my previous stories. I am going to say a minimum of three days between chapters from here on out. That is the earliest you can see a new one, although I reserve the right to extend that time at any point I deem necessary.**

**In any case, thanks for reading Season 1 (IF YOU DIDN'T GO DO IT NOW!), if you need to refresh yourself, simply go click on my profile link and find my story in its respective section.**

**Take care folks!**


	3. Below The Belt

**A/N: Season 2 Episode 2 is coming up next, time to answer some reviews and then we get this party on the road!**

**Foldguy: There is a reason for such a terrible plan, the assassin's handler (I'll let the audience figure that individual out) wanted to strike at a symbolic moment, rather than in private or at a more opportune time. It's a typical terrorist method of attack, rather than one that is strategic or of tactical benefit.**

**Vittorio doesn't comprehend everything he is facing, he has some idea but his mentality is focused on what the Church believes and what the world actually has. I doubt that Henrietta will ever look down on Kerrigan again or go against her advice; the Swarm could easily take the entire country if she or any others turned on Kerrigan. The Pope is in it hip-deep, that much is certain.**

**A game of hide and seek and the use of McDongCopter is a possibility, stay tuned.**

**The Elves have always been involved in some manner or way, but they won't play much of an active role yet. We haven't even seen an elf in this story as of yet, so we will likely meet Tiffania before then.**

**Also a visit to Tarbes from the Queen is going to happen soon, so wait for that one.**

**Thanks again for so much input Fold, I appreciate it all!**

**DarkOwl: He does seem to be a real prick doesn't he? =P**

**Lucas Bane: It'll be a great season I think, plenty of chapters this time around, and some time back in the Koprulu Sector with our Starcraft characters.**

**Shadowsong: I got bored of holding onto it, it was a few days early, but I felt it was the right time to bring it out to the public. I have another chapter done right now, but I won't be releasing it right away.**

**Celestia's Paladin: It will be fast paced for a few chapters before things calm down and the plot begins to fill in. Someone will be bringing another keg to the Bro-down soon enough =) (or is it Sis-Down?)**

**Lord Arthas: A valid point, however darker, potentially M-rated material is coming soon. I typically use the M rating because it gives me the freedom to write with little restriction on content.**

**Y para responder a su pregunta, no funciona para el Blizzard, pero la Kerrigan retratan eventualmente se convirtió en Canon sólo días después de que terminé la escritura. Simplemente predije lo que Blizzard haría con ella, no tomar ningún crédito, otro entonces ser original (en el momento).**

**^ (I don't work for Blizzard)**

**JudithDeathKnight: Thank you so much for your review! It's good to see people liking the new season already! The Pope may have some inkling on what's to come, but what could that favor be? Hmm?**

**DaLintyMan: Good to see you again, there will be much Noms and Dakka's to come. The Pope's role will be mostly as a secondary character for now, but his role WILL increase in scope later on. I was being generous with the three day minimum, in all likelihood it'll be a week (probably longer) given my other stories. That and RL is becoming a major hassle (What else is new?).  
**

**In any case, enjoy the chapter guys, see you all around =)**

* * *

**Royal Palace**

**Early Morning**

Henrietta found herself crying again after waking from her constant nightmares. She went to her nightstand and took a massive chug of the wine bottle she had 'liberated' from the cellar earlier that day.

She was finding herself drinking in massive quantities, she was drunk and in a stupor a good 10 hours a day, the only time she was buzzed or sober was when she was performing her Queenly duties. As often as she could she was sneaking off to take a drink from the exquisite wine collection that the Royal Family had access to. The nightmares wouldn't stop though, no matter how much alcohol she put into her system.

It was the same thing, seeing the bullet meant for her punch through her heart, the pain, and seeing the blood pour from the wound as she dropped dead. Chills passed through her whole body as catatonia began to set in again.

"Why did you have to die Wales?! I need you so much right now! Your love, your heart, even your body made living as a Princess bearable!" Henrietta continued sobbing until she heard a knock on the door.

"Not a good time!"

"Ann?"

Henrietta stopped breathing, '_That's impossible, that sounds just like him.'_

"I-is that you Wales?"

The door opened, revealing one Prince Wales Tudor in military dress uniform with a smile on his face, "Hello beloved, I missed you."

* * *

**Magic Academy-Alviss Hall**

**Mid-Morning**

Kerrigan was drinking a hot cup of tea along with the rest of the Ghosts, who had all come to the mostly empty dining hall to get some chow for the training they had planned for later that day.

Jessica spoke up first, "So, Sarah, what can we expect to do today?"

"Weapons training Acolytes, you all get to shoot some targets at range with a variety of guns that Elliot supplied for us. You need to become proficient with every kind of weapon there is so you have the means to fight, in any environment. I will also have you train with the standard flintlock muskets they use here as well. Not nearly as fun, but still just as essential."

Grunts of approval seemed to cross the lips of all the Acolytes, but Louise was left wondering, "Sarah, what about my magic training?"

Kerrigan took a sip of her tea and began, "We'll see what we can dig out of that Book the Queen gave you yesterday. I'll be honest though, I don't believe we will make much progress with it; we just don't have the expertise we need to advance your abilities.

Delflinger joined the conversation, ready or not, "Aye, the Gandalfr is right about that. The Founder's Prayer Book only unlocks Void spells as they are needed, to prevent a new void mage from overexerting themselves. This, in addition to preventing non-void mages from discovering the incantations required for those spells, to prevent their abuse."

Louise frowned, "Then why do I carry this thing around Sarah? If I can't use it, it will just weigh me down won't it?"

Kerrigan shook her head, "If what we know of Void magic is accurate, it contains spells that no other tree of magic has, and most likely have few, if any equivalent Psionic ability either. Even with all the people and species the Swarm has infested over the years, my own Psionic powers had to be brought out with considerable practice, and even experimentation."

Kerrigan continued, "We also need to be aware of willpower depletion, it will severely limit your ability to cast Void magic more than once or twice. This physical and mental training has the dual effect of boosting your own physical strength, plus boosting your willpower and Psionic energy levels and abilities."

What Kerrigan didn't mention was that she had no idea if improving her own Psionic abilities would enhance Louise's magical abilities. It was as much guesswork as it was a theory.

Louise nodded her head, she knew that she couldn't have all the answers at one moment; they would have to come to her in time.

All the Ghosts had their morning briefing interrupted by an urgent message from Umbra, 'Mistresses! We have a situation at the Palace! Henrietta has gone missing, and is believed to have been kidnapped!'

Kerrigan's eyes narrowed, 'Explain how that is even possible Umbra, that place is fucking fortress right now!'

Louise perked up with an answer, "She is young, and impressionable. It is possible they may to strike a low blow using someone important to her."

Kerrigan paused in thought, _'Wait, when we were at Lagdorian Lake with Tabitha, the water spirit told us that a powerful ring had been stolen. Supposedly with the ability to control the wills of people -'_

'_-And recreate life. FUCK!'_

Kerrigan's mouth dropped open, "Did we recover the Prince's body from Albion?"

Louise shook her head, "We didn't have time, and he was buried on the church grounds."

"My God, it all makes sense now! They used Andvari's ring to brainwash someone into being an assassin, and then used it to revive Wales in an attempt to lure a vulnerable Henrietta out!"

Tabitha and Kirche both appeared from behind a pillar, collapsing on one another after hearing the news, but only Kerrigan noticed as the Ghost team's faces paled at that revelation, "How didn't I see this coming!"

'Elliot! We need air support ASAP!' A moment passed by before she heard a response.

'What the hell is going on Sarah?! I practically flew out of bed from that message!'

'The Queen has been kidnapped by a resurrected Prince Wales in a second assassination attempt Elliot! Do you have any ships that you can use to cut her off?' Kerrigan could feel a gasp of either terror or horror through the telepathic line, before he calmed himself down.

'The only ones I have pilots for are two Vikings, and they only have half their weapons payload.'

'That's fine; just send them our way right now! I'll send further information later!' Kerrigan cut the connection and reached out to the Umbra, 'Umbra is there any suggestion to where she may be going?'

'Yes Mistress, Dame Milan said there was a sighting of them heading to Lagdorian Lake just under an hour ago.'

'Then that's where we will go, Kerrigan out.'

"Alright girls, they are heading for Lagdorian Lake, get on your Vultures and let's head out. I assume you want in as well Tabitha, Kirche?" Both nodded, "Then you best get Sylphid, we're moving out." Both of the students ran out into the courtyard, with Tabitha whistling for Sylphid.

'Elliot, they are moving towards Lagdorian Lake, send the Vikings there to intercept, but do not fire unless absolutely necessary!'

'Orders issued, we're scrambling. See you soon Sarah, out.'

Kerrigan turned to the group of Ghosts and mages, "Grab your guns and get to the Vultures, we ride into battle today!"

* * *

**Tarbes-Starport**

"_**ALL VIKING CREWS TO YOUR SHIPS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE!"**_

Alarm sirens blared throughout the Starport as everyone was rousted from their sleep, preparing for inevitable contact with enemy forces. Both pilots jumped out of bed, got into a skin tight flight suit with the life support gear attached.

Viking flight suits were armored, unlike most other suits used by pilots; mainly due to the Viking's heavy exposure to enemy fire. The Viking's own armor plating was incredibly sturdy and rugged, but even the strongest armor has weak points. Those armored flight suits also gave Viking pilots a fighting chance of surviving a dangerous ejection from their vehicles, where other flight crews had a much higher fatality rate post-ejection. The value of a Viking pilot was much higher then those of a Wraith or even a Valkyrie's.

The armored pilots ran to the waiting Vikings, already on the launch rails, the first pilot jumped in, sealed her cockpit and began a short pre-flight check. She cursed when she heard the radio call out, _"Sorry flight lead, your wingman has a serious leak on his aircraft, you'll be on your own for now."_

The newly trained pilot frowned, "Understood control, Ileana taking off." She turned to the launching officer, snapped a quick salute, and turned forward.

"Punch it."

Elliot looked at his stopwatch as the Viking screamed away, heading into sky above.

"One hundred and ten seconds, not bad for their first real scramble."

* * *

Kerrigan and the rest of the Ghosts began to drive like they never had before; the girls had piled onto two Vultures and were easily hitting 240 kilometers per hour, making every turn a stomach wrenching nightmare. The insane jumps off of one hill easily got them fifteen seconds of air, crossing another half kilometer in mere moments.

Kerrigan rode the lead vehicle with Louise holding on for dear life, while Siesta drove the second Vulture, Jessica was holding on even tighter, simply terrified of going at such ludicrous speeds.

'_That girl needs to learn how to handle that fear; otherwise she has no place with the Ghosts.'_

Thankfully the ride wouldn't last long; at their current rate of speed they would reach Lagdorian Lake in just a few more minutes.

* * *

Royal Musketeers being led by Dame Milan were charging after the Queen and her kidnapper on horseback, far behind, but slowly gaining.

"I almost see her Majesty! Faster Musketeers!"

Agnes was humiliated at just how unexpected Henrietta's kidnapping was; it didn't help matters that she had ordered her and the rest of her guard to leave her presence for the night.

Agnes' eyes went wide seeing a giant wind blast heading her way and impacting the forward elements riding to reach the Queen. The horses and Musketeers both were sent flying heads over heels backwards, barely missing Agnes and impacting other riders, taking them down as well.

'_I hope help gets here soon.'_

* * *

Ileana of Tarbes was a thin, lanky woman with an unnatural love for adrenaline and traveling by horseback at ludicrous speeds. To say she had found her ultimate high in the Viking was not an unjustified statement. It had everything she could ever want, big, fast firing cannons and nasty missiles for taking on the flying bad guys. She could even transform and start walking on the ground, pulverizing everything in sight. The Viking seemed to be a perfect fit for the social deviant teenager and her constant desire for danger.

"Alright Ileana, your mission is simple, stop the kidnapping of Queen Henrietta. Their last sighting put them on course for Lagdorian Lake on horseback, your task is to intercept them and prevent them from escaping across the border." Ileana turned toward the southern border of Tristain that held the massive landlocked lake and punched her ion drives to full power. She had been flying for 5 minutes and had covered the distance in mere moments, Lake Lagdorian was straight ahead.

"Lord Elliot, should they cross the border, will we be able to pursue?"

"You can, but you will be on your own Ileana, no back up, and no support."

"My wingman?" Ileana's wingman William couldn't take off due to what turned out to be a fuel leak from one of his drive cores, meaning she was on her own until he either got things fixed up, or other assets showed up.

"Engine problems, he'll be with you shortly, until then you have the best chance of reaching Her Majesty before she crosses the border. Good luck, use of deadly force is authorized."

Ileana activated her terrain following radar and immediately began to follow the road that led to Lagdorian Lake at 20 meters above the ground. She began to scan the road for activity, and saw a large group of horses galloping after what looked like a single horse in the distance.

'_Carrying two people! One in purple!'_

"Lord Elliot, I have a visual on the Queen and our kidnapper. Orders?"

"Stop them, however do not fire your weapons unless you have a completely clean shot, Lady Kerrigan will be right behind you once you land and confront them. Ignore any orders given by the Queen until she is rescued."

"Copy, moving to interdict."

* * *

Agnes looked into the sky to see a rather odd looking aircraft that flew incredibly fast and smoothly through the air. She saw the insignia of Tarbes on its side and realized it was help that came from Lady Kerrigan.

Her second clue was the sound of two Vulture Hover Bikes passing by at unfathomable speeds, easily overtaking the Musketeers in an instant. The wind blast from their velocity actually blew Agnes' mantle clear off of her shoulders, and earning a surprised reaction from the veteran Knight.

'_How can she drive that thing? How doesn't she crash into every little thing in the road?!'_

Agnes shook her head and watched as the Viking sped ahead of the group, then came directly over the heads of the Queen and her kidnapper.

* * *

Queen Henrietta was unconscious, fast asleep from the magic Wales had used to incapacitate her earlier that morning after she had embraced him.

**Flashback**

"_Oh Wales!" Henrietta ran to him and jumped into his arms, half naked and with reckless abandon._

_Wales couldn't help but smile, 'Ann is as warm and excitable as usual; I wish I didn't have to do all of this.'_

_He incanted a brief spell and Henrietta found herself falling into a blissful, warm slumber._

**End Flashback**

Wales had already fired several wind blasts at the advancing Musketeers, throwing the lucky ones off of their horses, and cutting apart the rest like dicing a pineapple. He was almost to Lagdorian Lake, and to a small Albion corvette that was waiting in hiding on the Gallian side of the border.

"Wales?" He looked down to see Henrietta looking up at him, with a beaming smile and tears in her eyes, "It's true, you're here my love. We're together again at last!" She glomped onto him harder and closed her eyes; she was happy once again. Wales had to hold himself in check; she was still in her revealing nightgown and underwear, her modesty only preserved by a bathrobe at that point.

'_It should be half way across the lake already; we should be able to ride straight aboard-.'_

Wales's thoughts were interrupted by an odd sound coming from behind and above. Both turned their heads toward the sky and saw the flying machine begin to match their speed. Wales fired an Air Cutter at the machine but it barely made an impact, leaving a small dent on the armor plating.

The Viking sped ahead and slightly upwards, and began to transform. The entire ship began to transform itself from a flying machine into a mechanical walker in midair, in just two seconds of freefall the Viking had fully transformed and landed directly in front of their horse; the Viking charged forward, terrifying the animal into rising on its hind legs, throwing its passengers off. The walker slapped the horse aside, uninterested in letting the kidnapper attempt to use it again. The Viking's Gatling cannons began to rotate at a moderate speed; prepared to fire on the kidnapper should it be required.

The Viking began to circle the two Royals, "**Kidnapper Wales of Albion! In the name of Her Majesty Queen Henrietta I hereby place you under arrest for the crimes of aggravated kidnapping, multiple counts of manslaughter, and attempted assassination. Drop your wand or I will be forced to fire upon you!"**

Henrietta was stunned at the machine in front of her, '_Is this one of Kerrigan's new machines? Just what is she capable of?'_

"As your Queen I demand you step aside soldier, now!"

"**I can't do that Your Majesty, I'm under orders to disregard any instruction you give me,**" The Viking turned to Wales, "**I will not warn you again Wales, drop the wand or I will fire upon you!"**

Wales snorted, "Like that contraption can do anything to me now! AIR HAMMER!" Ileana saw a blast of air come towards the Viking, and used her jump jets to dodge it. She spun up the Gatling cannons and fired a burst into Wales. The dual cannons put out nearly 200 rounds into the space where Wales occupied, shredding him instantly, and kicking up a massive dust plume.

"WALES!" Henrietta screamed and pointed her wand towards Ileana, shooting a volley of Ice Javelins, which rammed into the joints and links of the Viking.

Alarms began to blare throughout the cockpit warning Ileana of the severity of the damage. The blast of projectiles had shattered one of her jump jets and had taken off her left arm and cannon at the elbow. The feeding mechanism for the right cannon had been jammed and wouldn't fire; what was worst of all however was the damage to her ion drive that normally functioned while flying, the entire system had been cut apart and was starting to overheat. Ileana saw a countdown timer until the munitions would start cooking off, counting down from ninety seconds, along with an 'EJECT' indicator flashing a bright red.

A cloud of smoke had emerged from the fire, and as it cleared Ileana was horrified to see that even with all the massive holes and damage he had taken, Prince Wales's wounds simply regenerated instantly. "That's impossible! No living being could ever regenerate that fast!" Ileana got on the radio to call for help, the Viking was a lost cause, but the Royals didn't know that.

Xxx

"Viking Ileana of Tarbes requesting assistance from any allied forces in the area! I have been disabled by Queen Henrietta and am no longer combat effective! I require immediate reinforcements and additional Viking units on my position!"

"Ileana! It's William! I'm thirty seconds out; you've got incoming airborne targets!"

"Viking pilot, this is Sarah Kerrigan, Ghost Corps, four troopers inbound on your position; ETA 45 seconds, hold your ground until we arrive. Viking William, you are cleared to begin air patrol over the area. Weapons free!"

William of Tarbes locked up the small scout ship on his Phobos weapons system, and armed his Lanzer Torpedoes.

Viking William, Fox Three!" He pulled the trigger, firing half of his air to air compliment of weapons nearly instantly, the powerful warheads automatically tracking the small ship approaching.

Wales looked to the sky to see a second Viking open fire on an approaching Albion ship, the torpedoes blasting ahead at supersonic speeds. The warheads armed themselves fifty meters after leaving the Viking and activated their own radar systems. The torpedoes landed across the ship's deck and bow, first cutting the bow clean off of the ship and destroying everything above deck; the final torpedoes detonating within the hull itself, turning the ship into a giant firecracker. Bodies and shrapnel were sent careening out of the ship at near hypersonic velocities, as the ship collapsed on itself and sunk into the lake.

Wales's mouth dropped open as their ride out of the country was simply torn asunder by the new, mysterious flying machine as it came in and transformed next to Ileana. "Ileana, are you alright? What happened?"

"I'm fine William! Just keep your guns on Wales, the man just won't die!" Ileana looked at her control display, which was now shutting down; the red 'Eject' indicator was now buzzing into her headset repeatedly.

"_**EJECT EJECT EJECT."**_

"My weapons are about to go, sorry guys!" Ileana limped far enough away from the action, primed the ejection sequence and activated it. Thankfully the ejection system was one that remained fully functional after the craft was turned into a robotic pin cushion.

The cockpit window and dorsal armor plate were blasted clear off as strategically placed explosive bolts detonated in perfect unison. Her visor closed down around her face, her arms automatically were pulled in front of her, Egyptian Mummy style, and she was shot out of the now open air Viking by an electromagnetic rail system.

Just moments after she ejected, the Viking exploded into a ball of fire and shrapnel, leaving a three meter deep and 10 meter wide crater where the assault walker had just been.

Xxx

Kerrigan jumped off of the Vulture and ran towards Henrietta, C-10 in hand as the girls took up flanking position beside her, their own weapons out and at the ready. She saw the Viking pilot eject, followed by the walker's explosion, and ran even faster.

"Your Majesty, I need you to come to me alright? What you are seeing is not the real Wales."

"No Kerrigan! This is the real Wales! He proved it to me!"

Wales laughed, "See Kerrigan? Even the Queen knows that I am the real Wales, why can't you?"

Kerrigan's eyes narrowed, "I know what I saw Wales, I saw a saber ran through you like a screw through a wine cork. You died on the church floor from that wound and I saw Louise tear Wardes into a thousand pieces with nothing but a series of thoughts." Henrietta visibly shuddered at the description of Wales' supposed death, and Wardes punishment, "I'm still pulling teeth and bone fragments out of my hair. I'm well aware of what I saw, the Ring of Andvari is behind this action Wales, and I'd like to know who has it right now."

That's enough Lady Kerrigan! I'm ordering you to stand down, you too Louise!"

At that moment Tabitha and Kirche both landed behind the Royals, and were met with a powerful Air Hammer from Wales, sending both into the ground.

"I think not," Kerrigan raised her hand, and shot a bolt of Psionic Lightning into Wales, punching clear through him and blasting down a tree behind him. She began to advance, rifle in hand, and turned it onto Henrietta. "Please don't make a decision we will all regret Henrietta."

"Stay back Lady Kerrigan!" Henrietta cried out, holding her wand threateningly towards Kerrigan and the girls, "Louise, you cannot possibly understand what it means to be in love!"

Louise found herself looking towards the ground and kicking her feet together, "No Princess, I don't know what it feels like, but this isn't Wales-."

"Be silent!" Henrietta sent a blast of ice spikes towards the Ghosts, as Agnes approached and saw as Kerrigan simply deflected the projectiles away from them with a wave of her hand.

'_I have no chance in this fight,_' Agnes looked down at the shrapnel wound across her abdomen, '_This is up to Kerrigan now, but just who is this woman?'_

"Let me leave in peace Louise, this is my final order for you as Queen."

Louise looked to a frowning Kerrigan, 'She has no way out, and if we lose her she's as good as dead.'

Kerrigan nodded, 'Make the call Louise, this is your decision. You are her closest friend, you have that right.'

Louise closed her eyes, "Sarah, destroy that imitation of Wales."

Henrietta's eyes widened in horror as Kerrigan charged forward, bringing Delflinger to bear on Wales, moving at impossibly fast speed, driving the enchanted blade through his chest. Wales smiled, "It will take far more than that to kill me Kerrigan, Air Cutter!"

Both Delflinger and Sarah were blasted backwards in different directions, looks of shock and horror came upon Kerrigan as she realized her right arm had been severed just below the elbow. '_A clean amputation, little nerve or bone damage, should be a snap to heal.'_

She turned towards Wales and smiled, "I'm impressed Wales, apparently the undead attributes the Ring gave you also improved your own physical strength _and_ your magic output. Only one being could ever take one of my limbs, and he was a far greater adversary then you ever could be. Enough games Wales, I'm ending this right now."

Agnes looked in horror as the arm that still carried Delflinger was sent flying back towards its original owner, and reattached itself. Kerrigan awoke her own infested regeneration abilities and began to shift into the Queen of Blades' true form.

Agnes felt it also, '_This is the power of the Shield of Tristain?'_

Not quite.

She was about to strike at Wales again, but felt an ominous energy emanating from the Ghost at her side.

"UNCLEAN MONSTER!" Kerrigan turned to Louise, whose eyes had turned a nasty shade of crimson, and her hands rose, palms facing out towards, "YOU DARE HURT MY BEST FRIEND! YOU WRETCH! NOW BURN!" A massive blast of pyrokinetic napalm shot from her hands and immolated Wales whose own mouth was wide open seeing such a wave coming at him. Such sudden fire caused a massive flashover and shockwave that sent all but the remaining Viking, Louise and Kerrigan flying backwards.

Henrietta was shot like a cannonball into side of Sylphid, who had landed to pick up her fallen master and Kirche; she was knocked unconscious by the blast and awoke seeing a dragon begin licking her face.

"What just happened?" Henrietta turned and saw an almost demonic appearing Louise releasing steam and excess heat from her body. The heat had built so much that her rifle had begun to melt; it had already seared the ground underneath and around her.

Wales looked like a work from Frankenstein's laboratory, the undead Prince was cooked into a pretzel shape, and all were horrified to see him begin to move out of his position. The sounds of organs squishing, and bones cracking as slowly he reformed himself into a human being, clothing and all.

Kerrigan frowned, "So much for this being an easy fight, I've seen Torrasques give up after less damage. Delflinger, you fought against Elves who used Ancient Magic, any possible ways we can win this without taking out half the country in the ensuing firestorm?"

The sword took a moment to respond, "You! Void mage! Look at the book!"

Louise seemed to be shocked back into reality and collapsed, before Kerrigan took her canteen and dumped the entire contents onto her face, waking her instantly.

"What the hell was that for Sarah?!"

"Need you to do a void spell, check the Founder's Prayer Book for a new one." Kerrigan turned to Siesta and nodded; the former maid ran over to her Vulture and ran back to the group. After getting the book, Louise opened it and found a new spell glowing in the book.

"Dispel Magic?"

"That will work, where's your wand?"

Louise looked to her waist, and found a piece of charred wood where her wand was placed, "Umm whoops?"

Kerrigan rolled her eyes, "Time to improvise then, I need you to focus Louise. Imagine creating a new wand in your hands, your own creation." The pinkette was about to complain but began to focus her energy, which began to glow around her in a more benevolent blue aura. The wand seemed to spring forth from her hand and flowed like a Protoss energy shield as it was being recharged.

Agnes saw the creation emerge from Louise's hand and was astounded, '_That little girl can create a new wand from nothingness, with nothing but her mind? Maybe we can get some Ghosts into the Musketeers . . .'_

Louise opened her eyes and felt the Psionic Wand in her palm, and felt awestruck, '_I created this?_'

"Well stop dicking around! Cast that spell, I'll buy you some time!" Kerrigan ran towards Wales with Delflinger, but found herself intercepted by an Ice Wall from Henrietta, who had ran to Wales side and protected him with an ice shield. Kerrigan got wide-eyed having an ice shard stick out, nearly nailing her in the eye.

"What in the flying fuck are you doing Your Majesty? It's safe to say that is NOT Wales."

Wales spoke up, "Isn't it obvious? She has returned to my side, just as she said she would be forever."

Kerrigan grimaced as the pair intertwined their arms and begin to chant together. A massive rainstorm begun to form around them, as the air and water droplets became charged with magical energy.

"You don't realize how badly you're outmatched do you? Now realize the true power of Royal Magic! Hexagon class!" Kerrigan looked forward to see a massive tornado whipping through the distance between the combatants.

"Well this . . . is a bit of a complication."

"Partner! Use me; it's the only chance you got!"

Kerrigan let a feral screamfill everyone's ears and charged forward holding Delflinger in front; the ancient blade began to glow as it soaked up the massive energy output the storm gave off, "I haven't felt this much magic running through me in millennia! I can't hold on like this forever partner!"

Kerrigan turned back towards Louise, who held her Psionic Wand in her left hand, and the Founder's Prayer Book in her right. She was chanting in the strange runic language that Void spells were written in. She took a moment to pause, looked towards Wales and the Princess, and spoke the final word, "IS!"

Electricity began to flow from Louise's wand and manifested itself in a spinning matrix of light which continued to spin faster and faster until it reached critical mass. At that point, the lightning bolt being charged lashed out to hit Wales instantly, earning a massive scream of agony from the undead, as well as knocking the Queen backwards. In just a few moments, the storm had cleared, revealing a devastated battlefield where the Royals had done battle with Kerrigan.

The final sound was Wales collapsing to the ground, blood beginning to spout from his wounds received in Albion.

Henrietta began to lose consciousness as her willpower was ripped from her; the last thought she held, was that of her beloved.

* * *

Henrietta awoke to find herself next to Wales near the waterfront, all surrounded by eyes of both curiosity and displeasure.

"...Henrietta? Is it you?"

It was a weak and fading voice, but it was Wales' voice without a doubt. Henrietta's shoulders shook. If miracles existed in Halkeginia, times like this were definitely that.

It was possible that the feelings Henrietta felt for Wales called upon a whim from the gods. No one knows why. Just that, Wales opened his eyes. That was truth enough for her.

"Wales . . ."

Henrietta called her lover's name. She understood. The Wales this time was the true Wales. Not a puppet that moved with fake life, but the true him.

Tears flowed from Henrietta's eyes.

"What a thing. Just how long have I waited for this moment..."

The eyes of the group widened when they saw that Wales had opened his eyes, the real Wales had truly returned.

Wales! Your wounds!" Henrietta began to heal them, but found them unable to be closed.

He was dying, once again; the wound he had received from Wardes was bleeding uncontrollably.

"Wales, do you plan to leave me alone yet again?"

"I have one last wish Ann"

"Don't say that!"

"Make me a promise Ann, promise me you'll find someone else to love, and forget all about me."

Henrietta became silent and shook her head. "Dammit Ann, Swear to me right here and now! To forget me, and find another man to love, in front of me and all these witnesses here!"

"No, I can't do that Wales."

"Ann, do it so my soul can be free."

Henrietta visibly sniffled, "Only if you swear that you will love me for eternity!"

"You first Ann, no exceptions," Wales gave a smile that shattered all the hearts present.

"I swear, to forget about Prince Wales Tudor of Albion, and to find someone else to love."

"Thank you Ann."

"Your turn darling."

"Take me to the waterside." Wales closed his eyes, and Kerrigan knew instantly, but couldn't bear to tell Henrietta the truth.

Both the Royals were walked into the water; Henrietta took Wales's shoulders, "Now say it! To love me forever."

Silence reverberated through the air, Henrietta shook Wales shoulders again, "Wales?"

Kerrigan kneeled and put her arm across Henrietta's shoulders as her life with Wales played back in her mind.

'_Our first meeting.'_

'_Our first touch.'_

'_Our first kiss.'_

'_Our first time making love to one another.'_

Henrietta gasped for breath, the memories had sucked her conscious mind so deep into her memories that she hadn't been breathing for some time. She took a deep breath and began to weep, tears staining her face and nightgown. She collapsed into Kerrigan's arms and continued to sob uncontrollably for what seemed like an eternity.

She pulled herself together, and looked back to Kerrigan and Louise who themselves had tears in their own eyes, "It's time to give him a proper burial Henrietta, so that none of those bastards ever do this again."

She nodded; Louise helped carry his body into deeper water where Kerrigan and Henrietta both pushed him into the watery abyss. The crystal clear water made it so the entire group saw as his body slowly drifted away, until Prince Wales vanished from the world of the living once more.

* * *

**The Next Day -Tarbes**

Kerrigan found herself in Tarbes, helping build new vehicles for the war effort that was now guaranteed to have them taking the fight to the Albion army.

Henrietta had returned to the Capital and had entered a period of mourning that would last a full week.

It was Cardinal Mazarin's work load for the duration.

'_Those fuckers are going to pay for messing with a young woman like that.'_

Kerrigan was sitting on top of one of the Factories, looking towards a coming sunrise, looking for answers to all that had happened.

'_I was just the same not long ago; I wonder how many would kill me if they got the chance.'_

"I thought you might be up here Sarah," Kerrigan turned and saw Elliot with a bottle of wine and two glasses, "Mind if I join you?"

She nodded, "Wouldn't your wife be pissed if you were drinking wine with another woman in a romantic spot?"

Elliot let a loud laugh come from his stomach, "To be honest, I told her what had actually happened, and your story. Given all that happened I wouldn't be surprised if she approved of you being the other woman in my life." Kerrigan raised an eyebrow, along with a smirk as Elliot poured them both a full glass.

"Cheers!"

"I can tell you're conflicted Sarah, spill it."

She closed her eyes, "I was so infuriated at what Albion pulled with Wales, and I swear if I had the ability, I would've turned that entire country to ash and rubble." She put her head down, "But I realized something, I was the same way, and it could be argued I am the worst war criminal to have ever lived. It all seems pretty hypocritical in hindsight."

Elliot held her face in his free hand, "Sarah, that isn't you anymore. You have a new life here now, away from the pain and strife of the Koprulu Sector. You don't have to worry about any of that anymore."

"That may not be the case in the long term Elliot. I managed to send a signal out during the lunar eclipse."

Elliot looked at her, "Why would you do that?"

"For him, for Jim. Jim Raynor."

Elliot's mouth dropped open, "THE Jim Raynor? The famous outlaw and criminal?!"

Kerrigan laughed, "He gave that life up last time I saw him. He became a Marshal on Mar Sara, we met during First Contact when I was undercover for the Sons of Korhal. We were an item for a time, until Mensgk threw me to the wolves. We were enemies after that, from the invasion of Aiur to the Battle for Char, where I got sent here from. He never gave up on me Elliot, and I know when he does find me; I can begin my journey for redemption."

Elliot seemed entertained, "What exactly motivated you to do all that you did?"

"It turns out the Overmind, and myself were being manipulated by a third party during our entire existence. It was a creature that even the Overmind wasn't sure of its identity. Both of us suspect he may have been a Xel'Naga, a nearly deity type entity that created and uplifted both the Protoss and the Zerg millennia ago."

Elliot had begun to drool wine out of his mouth as Kerrigan continued, "When I was hit by the Xel'Naga artifact that Raynor used on me, I was dramatically weakened and sent here, to a new sector of space. I was able to estimate our general location given the communication buoy we got a hold of. We're in the most dangerous part space short of the Galactic Core itself, The Void Sector. It's Protoss territory, only certain people can get in, and Raynor is one of them. Unfortunately, the entire Sector is virtually unexplored, given the hazards of warp travel within."

Elliot was stunned, "How long do you think it will take them to find us?"

Kerrigan shook her head, "I honestly don't know Elliot, and the Erebus gave me a VERY generous estimate of 2-4 years with a dedicated exploration fleet. A single ship or a small fleet at best could take over a decade of constant searching, not including resupply runs or maintenance troubles."

"So it really is a long shot then?"

"It is unfortunately, but this separation gives me a chance to start over, and create a new beginning for the Zerg."

Elliot patted Kerrigan on the shoulder, "I wouldn't worry, even after the darkest of nights, morning always comes."

"Isn't that the truth?"

Both looked towards the sunrise and called out another "Cheers!"

"I never did ask how you got here, why do you have so much firepower? Considering you came here all by yourself."

Elliot frowned, "I deserted, stole as much stuff as I could and went into uncharted space to find a new life. Not much else to say about it to be completely honest."

Kerrigan nodded, "I didn't mean to pry Elliot."

He smiled and shook his head, "I suppose you should know that, provided others from the Koprulu Sector reach us within either of our lifetimes."

She nodded, "Yours perhaps, I will probably live for centuries, and even the Erebus isn't entirely sure how long I could live. It may even be longer than that."

"I can see it now, Sarah Kerrigan, Halkeginia's first human, er, partly human centennial."

Kerrigan burst out laughing, and Elliot joined her as the morning sun continued to rise.

* * *

**Hyperion**

**Warp-Space**

'_JIM!'_

Raynor woke up in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. He frowned and rubbed his eyes, '_Not another one_.'

The former Mar Sara Marshall had been having nightmares about Kerrigan for well over a week now, it wasn't a mission simply about keeping her safe, and it was a matter of life and death for everyone he had ever known.

Raynor's luck at finding volunteers was proving to be less then successful; most potential candidates were dropping out at the simple mention of leaving the entire Koprulu Sector for a desolate, unknown region.

The Void Sector.

The name alone sent away the young and idealistic, as well as the old and pragmatic. The one group that hadn't shied away from the opportunity was the Protoss, who had signed up for the trip in droves. The Protoss always had a strong, martial background, meaning warriors looking for a challenge were extraordinarily common, especially on the slums of Shakuras. Raynor almost had to stop asking for additional Protoss simply because they were becoming such a large force on the ship he was worried he would lose what little human support he had left.

Through Zeratul, he had earned a large degree of respect and rapport with the current members of the Hierarchy, giving him access to them as well as normally classified information. Most of it was redacted of course, but it was a gesture of good faith on their part. Most members didn't fully trust the idea of Kerrigan being so important to the Prophecy that Zeratul had seen, and shared with Raynor. Even Raynor still didn't completely believe it, seeing it for himself was just part of it. If Kerrigan was still alive, and he knew that she was somehow; she would be their only chance for salvation.

Raynor's own thoughts were interrupted from the communication tablet in his room, "Captain? It's Matt, sorry to disturb you, but you need to hear this."

"What is it Matt?"

"We received a message from the Kel-Morian Combine, they found a rather . . . suspicious message addressed to the Hyperion from an unknown source."

Raynor found his pulse quicken, "Did they get a location on where this was sent from?"

"Not a good one in galactic terms, but close enough. It bounced off an old Confederate Black Ops buoy on the edge of the Void."

"I'll be right up in a moment."

Raynor jumped out of his seat, grabbed his boot and a shirt along with an old pair of shorts and ran to the elevator. Raynor was mashing the button for the bridge, to the point it actually shorted out, making the old renegade grumble like a caged lion.

'_I'm surprised we received a signal from the Kel-Morians over this, we don't usually see eye to eye on anything. What I want to know was if they read it, and spread whatever information they found inside.'_

His brief mental thought was interrupted as the doors opened and he rushed onto the bridge, Matt over by the restricted communications terminal beckoned, "Captain, over here."

Raynor made his way over to his XO and spoke a single phrase, "Let's drop through the rabbit hole."

Matt smiled and nodded, "Adjutant, attempt to filter out any distortions or interruptions, begin transmission."

A mixed video/audio file began to play, showing Kerrigan in her infested form in what appeared to be a small ship, _"I'm Alive Jim. -e Safe. Unknown medieval human w-d, Swarm is -re, safe too."_

"Is that all Matt?"

"That is all of it, this proves within a reasonable doubt that Kerrigan is definitely alive and well, but what did she mean by the Swarm is safe too?"

"I don't know, but she wouldn't have reached out to me without a good reason, we should head back to Shakuras. I think it's time to give Zeratul and the Hierarch our proof."

* * *

A/N: With that Chapter 2 is concluded! Wanted to close a few plot holes with Elliot that some mentioned during the first season, hope it answered a few questions! Your first Ghost Ops Mission is coming NEXT! Stay tuned!


	4. Operation: Defalcator Part 1

**A/N: Hello loyal readers and FNG's! Time for Part 1 Hail to the Zero Queen's first Ghost Ops Mission, a chapter revolving around a covert operation undertaken by the Tristain Ghost Corps.**

**While such a diversion could be considered an Omake, I will not label or address it as such, due to the fact that these missions will play a part to the plot of Season 2.**

**Also, I can't rule out additional Ghost Ops Missions in future seasons; stay tuned for future updates regarding this.**

**Enjoy your first Ghost Ops Mission, Operation Defalcator!**

**(What, Operation Kleptomaniac sounded too obvious)**

* * *

**Tristain Academy of Magic**

Kerrigan found herself twiddling her thumbs as she sat around, lounging in the comfortable fall afternoon.

Life had quieted down ever since the rescue of Queen Henrietta from the imposter Wales the previous day earlier. If anything, the former Ghost wanted to get a little action and intrigue going on, even if it was just to spice up everyday life.

"Excuse me, Lady Kerrigan de Char?"

Kerrigan turned to see an older, more experienced messenger carrying what looked like Royal documents. She sat up and focused her attention on the man, "I am her, how can I help you messenger?"

"Immediate orders from the former Queen Marianne de Tristain to report to the Palace immediately."

Kerrigan nodded, "Very well, we will make best speed there then."

She opened up her mind, 'Girls, I have a task, I will be heading to the Palace.'

* * *

**Tristainia-Palace**

A maid walked out and turned to the lone Ghost, "The Arch-Duchess will see you now, good day." The maid gave a polite curtsey, and Kerrigan walked inside.

The first thing Kerrigan saw as she walked in was the total state of opulence the room seemed to exude, high quality paintings and tapestries lined the walls; while the floors had a beautiful dark mahogany wood surface, it's brilliance so majestic it seemed to reflect light itself.

"Arch Duchess Marianne, you have called upon me. What are your orders?"

The former Queen stood up from her chair in the corner of the room, smiling towards the former Ghost, "Hello Lady Kerrigan." She sat back down again before continuing, "I am in need of your services." She motioned towards the wooden chair, which Kerrigan took.

"As you know, the Wind Ruby is an artifact passed down from each generation of Albion's Royal Family, there are a few other rings that Brimir himself passed on to the others as well. These rings are not the only legacy that the Founder left the nations of Halkeginia however."

She paused; giving Kerrigan a chance to take in what she had said, before continuing, "These are not the only relics that were left to the Royal Families, several powerful magical objects and constructs were given to Albion during the Founder's reign. These items must be recovered, and kept safe from the Reconquista. If they were to use them in any way, we could very well lose the conflict."

Kerrigan nodded, "So this is a retrieval mission then?" Marianne nodded, "Alright then, what are the rules of engagement?"

"I'm not sure I understand Lady Kerrigan."

She frowned, "Basically how far can we go to accomplish my mission Arch-Duchess."

Marianne paused, "Limited exposure if possible, you are to steal the artifacts from Newcastle, and if they have been moved, from Londinium itself. However, you may complete your mission any way you see fit. Try to behave yourself and fight with decorum in any case, you are a noble after all."

Kerrigan stood up, "Very well Arch-Duchess, we accept your mission, now code-named Operation Defalcator." She spun on her heel and walked out the door. As she was heading for the courtyard, Kerrigan reached out to the Erebus, 'We have a mission Erebus, from the former Queen.'

'Oh? Do tell Mistress'

'Simple snatch and grab, find some magic artifacts, and bring them back to Tristain. Limited engagements and presence as well; standard covert mission really.'

'You need me to put together a Zerg team as well Mistress?'

'Yes that would be good Erebus, any sweet mutations you have for me?'

'I do indeed Mistress, I have been putting resources into upgrading our Hunter-Killers into more formidable, and versatile platforms. I have a new form that is slightly smaller, and carries the same strengths of a standard H-K, with upgraded bio-cloaking and a set of arms with humanoid digits. These units also have been significantly upgraded with a primitive shield system, and have been given noble human DNA. I theorize some may be able to use magic like the mages do.'

'_Using magic like a human mage, that's an interesting possibility.'_

Kerrigan smiled, 'How many can you get to me by tonight?'

'Eight new Centurions without a problem Mistress.'

'Make it happen.'

* * *

**Tarbes-Starbase**

**Early Evening**

Kerrigan found herself in the Ghost armory, cleaning up after she had begun packing her knapsacks with all the gear and equipment she would need for her trip. Her signature C-10 Canister Rifle was her main weapon, with a folding AGR-14 as a backup; three magazines for both weapons, plus a bandolier of assorted canisters for the C-10's launcher.

'_If I am forced to use my guns then I'd probably be on the run anyhow, no sense in packing unnecessary gear.'_

She went back to collecting items for her mission, including signal flares, a small tent with an optical camouflage module, and a laser designator for the C-10, as well as a rucksack for to carry all the artifacts back to Tristain. She took a brown colored Ghost suit instead of the typical white, as well as a hastily made Ghille suit so she wouldn't have to rely on just her Psionic cloaking.

Kerrigan's preparations were in expectation of the worst possible scenarios, including extremely heavy defenses, massive troop numbers, or the incredibly unlikely, but possible intervention from other factions. Finding the Protoss Warp Disruptor earlier had kept the Erebus speculating on what could've been the reason the Dragoon had been brought to Halkeginia in the first place.

What Kerrigan knew was one thing and one thing only, others from the Koprulu Sector could very well be on the planet she was on, and had to expect them all to be hostile. While she had not mentioned this to the newly crowned Queen, her predecessor (or anyone else for that matter), the possibility of another power controlling the firepower of either the Terrans, Protoss, or some other undiscovered race weighed heavily on Kerrigan's mind.

'Erebus.'

'Mistress.'

'Have the Overseers or Changelings discovered any other ET's on the planet?'

'None at this point Mistress. Then again we are looking for obvious signs of modern development, these people could've had the same idea that you did, hiding away from prying eyes.'

'And it would be impractical to make the search more widespread and invasive?'

'At this point it would. We are limited to high altitude reconnaissance only. While we do have cloaked Overlords and Overseers, the optical camouflage on air units remains highly unreliable, and we can't risk having confirmed sightings over foreign lands.'

Kerrigan couldn't help but groan; she usually had all the answers, and could be playing a game of cat and mouse with a mouse that didn't even exist.

'Maintain your search Erebus, expand the search grid further, and ensure any units that partake is riskier missions be outfitted with a self-immolation organ. I will not allow a single intact Zerg to fall into enemy hands.'

'Very well Mistress but I must ask, are you asking me to scout out Elven lands to the far south?'

Kerrigan closed her eyes for a moment, 'No, continue high altitude recon within Halkeginia, I'll see if I can't get Elliot to launch some specialized spy satellites for the job.'

'Yes Mistress,' Kerrigan closed the connection and took her now assembled gear for a walk to the Command Center.

* * *

Lord Elliot of Tarbes sat at his command console, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Construction on ships and vehicles was taking longer than expected. He simply lacked the specialized tradesmen and artisans he needed for the bigger or more numerous jobs. No official wartime production meant that he couldn't hire out the local blacksmiths and builders for the job, as he had little in the way of a proper paycheck.

Many local blacksmiths volunteered regularly, helped forge basic alloys themselves, and under the direction of the Foundry's Erebus, more high end metals, such as hardened carbon steel, and even low grade neo-steel. Granted, they didn't have access to high end metals and alloys yet; the Zerg Drones in charge of material collection often ran into Earth Dragons or Orc Demons; causing the Erebus to request forces to clear them out before they could proceed. There was a lot of ore that had been mined, but was simply too slow to process without dedicated facilities that just weren't available.

His first Henrietta-class battlecruiser (which could technically be classified as a heavy destroyer or heavy assault ship) was behind schedule with a dedicated force of Zerg Drones and Erebi working in non-stop shifts. Even though the new starship was smaller and had a lot less thrills then its larger Behemoth and Leviathan class cousins, it was still a painstakingly slow process. At a third the length, with no Yamoto Cannon, and no warp drive, the ship remained a massive undertaking.

Kerrigan wanted at least three ships ready for combat by the time the war actually began, presumably to act as both landing ships and as combat support ships, dealing both long range attacks to enemy vessels while using its point defense weapons to fight at knife fighting range with ships and enemy mounts. While they weren't likely to use them, each ship would have two dedicated missile silos packing a 25 kiloton tactical nuclear cruise missile each, able to target air, ground, and even sub-orbital targets with lesser effect.

As per Kerrigan's and Arch-Duchess Marianne's request, the use of strategic nuclear weapons (250 kilotons and above)* would be restricted and had to be activated by a two man sequence, both Queen Henrietta and Lady Kerrigan would hold the metaphorical launch keys. While Queen Henrietta hadn't received hers yet, Elliot planned to give her the authorization codes when she visited the Starbase.

"Ohhh Elliot!" He turned around to see Kerrigan in a brown colored Ghost suit, who was then just de-cloaking.

"Sarah, what are you doing here? I didn't even hear you were on base."

She smiled, "That was the intent Elliot, and I've been assigned a mission. I can't say who assigned it, where I'm going or what I'll be doing, but I will be gone a few days to say the least."

He gave a sly grin, "Came here to check up on me then?"

She shrugged, "It's merely a formality, but I know things aren't going well here for you."

Elliot frowned, "It's been rough, with both the lack of manpower and usable resources I either have to slow or stop production or as a last resort cut corners-."

Kerrigan shook her head quickly, "No, don't cut any corners or make any shortcuts, these ships have to be the best we can make."

He felt like there was more to what Kerrigan was saying then what she was actually disclosing, but he had neither the time nor patience to try and get her to open up.

"Well in any case, I did have one question. Can you get me high resolution photos and topography for the Sahara desert in the south of Halkeginia?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow, "While my gut is telling me to question you on this, I know it's fairly pointless to bother trying. Any specifics?"

She couldn't help but smile, "Give me everything you got, Sensor Sweeps, thermals, multi spectral, ground penetrating, and high grade color photographs."

Elliot facepalmed, "I best get started then, go on, run along and do your mission." Kerrigan waved as she walked out, "I'm the one who is really going to be working here."

* * *

**Over the Brimic Ocean – 80,000 Feet**

**Mid-Evening (2100 HOURS)**

Kerrigan lay inside the Overlord's ventral sac, resting her eyes for the duration of the trip. Since she had plenty of darkness to work with she had the Overlord fly a little slower to give her the chance for some sleep before her mission would begin in earnest.

'Lady Kerrigan?'

'Hm? Sorry who is this? I'm taking a little nap.'

'Arch-Duchess Marianne, I'm speaking through Umbra.'

She cleared her throat, 'I didn't mean to sound aloof Arch-Duchess.'

'It's of little importance now; I received some rather interesting information about a potentially undiscovered artifact in the north of the country. I can't verify the details, but if possible your secondary objective is to search for and retrieve this lost relic.'

'Shouldn't be a problem, though it would take an extra day for me to reach that area on foot; I can land there soon and begin my mission at that point instead, Kerrigan out.'

'Erebus, did you receive the contents of that transmission?'

'I did Mistress, it seems too convenient.'

'Good to hear I'm not the only one who is paranoid about this.'

'The Arch-Duchess wouldn't throw us to the wolves, it conflicts with her current psychiatric profile we have on file. You saved her daughter's life at least twice now, she owes you a lot.'

'It wasn't her; someone inside the Royal Palace fed her that information. We won't have any idea until we get the Ring of Andvari or we discover who our mole is.'

'Yes Mistress. Your Centurions are currently deployed in the east of Albion; they will rendezvous with you on the way to Newcastle, Erebus out.'

'We're dropping in Central Albion; I have no interest in walking into a trap unless all other mission objectives have been completed.'

'We're ready for drop Mistress. Whenever you're ready-.'

'Do it.'

At that very moment the ventral sac opened up and Sarah Kerrigan dropped from the heavens.

Kerrigan shaped herself into a bullet and began to accelerate.

_'250kph . . . 400kph . . . 550kph . . . 700kph, good enough.'_

She popped herself level, going spread eagle, and activated her HUD built into her helmet. Icons pointed the edges of the continent itself, major cities, known military installations, and objective sites. A final location included the coordinates for her Centurion force, which had left an hour earlier.

'Mistress, Centurion Xeres reporting. Eight Centurion compliment is groundside and currently passing through Westwood Forest. Avoiding contact with civilian populations and military forces. We're proceeding with rendezvous at these coordinates.' A set of coordinates half way to Newcastle showed up in Kerrigan's mind, 'Centurion Xeres, out.'

* * *

**Westwood Forest**

**That Same Time**

'Xeres! We have movement 150 meters ahead at your 2!' Xeres heard the call from the group's observer Oculus, who not only had the sharpest senses and eyesight, but the farthest reach with his spines. The record (which was unbeaten at any point in the Swarm's history) was some 330 meters distance with 75% accuracy, a sufficient passing grade in the eyes of the Erebus.

'Understood Oculus, what is it?'

'Looks Terran, with what appear to be little children around her. They are around a campfire and singing songs. Stand by Xeres,' a pause went across the connection before Oculus returned, his thoughts uncertain, 'I can't be certain at this range, but the Terran may be an elf!'

Xeres silently cursed, elves were the one species that the Zerg had no combat training or experience fighting. He needed to seek Mistress Kerrigan's counsel, 'Mistress, we have an important update you might want to hear.'

Kerrigan's thoughts came through loud and clear, 'Patch me in, audio only.'

'Go ahead Oculus.'

'Yes Xeres, Mistress. Approximately 140 meters from our current position dead ahead of our path is what appears to be a young elf woman reading to what appear to be young children.'

A silence came in on the line for what seemed to be an eternity to the young Zerg, 'Cloak and close in, keep your distance and limit your exposure. If your presence is discovered our mission may be compromised. Deadly force as a last resort only, and Centurions?'

Eight Centurions responded in unison, 'Yes Mistress?'

'Spare the children, no matter what; they are likely innocent in all of this.'

'Centurion Xeres acknowledges, out. Wraith, move in close, and keep it quiet.'

'Acknowledged.'

Wraith was the team's stealth and infiltration expert, a master of deception, illusions, and sneaking, often in plain sight. Her cloak was perfected to a level beyond the Queen of Blades' own, and could spawn her own Mirages to spoof enemy patrols or to cover her own retreat. Her own spine launchers had been modified to be completely silent, and far smaller in size, only the size of a pencil sharpener, unlike the standard spine which was easily the size of a Terran's forearm.

As Wraith slowly crept towards the unsuspecting Terran children and Elf guardian she found a rather interesting life sign, 'Xeres, a known magical signature has been detected in the building next to the campfire. It registers as . . . this is can't be right. It reads as one Matilda de Sachsen-Gotha.'

A presence immediately invaded the channel, 'Say again Centurion, did you say Matilda?'

'Affirmative Mistress.'

'Well, shit. Lay in wait and halt further advancement, we'll push the rendezvous closer to your position. I've made it to the surface without any difficulty and I've begun my hike towards your location, out.'

Xeres reached out to the squad, 'All Centurions retreat back to 150 meter perimeter and take a semi-circle pattern across the set distance.'

* * *

Kerrigan was pleasantly surprised to find that Fouquet was still very much alive and not a pile of cinders or beheaded in a Tristainian prison. '_At least I get a chance at revenge, if not now, perhaps later on.'_

'Centurions, what are the occupants of the house speaking about?'

'Patching you in Mistress.'

"_. . . I'm worried about you Matilda, you keep running off on your little expeditions, and I don't hear from you for weeks, sometimes months at a time.'_

'_Hmm, it seems this girl doesn't know the full story about Fouquet.'_

"_It's for the orphanage Tifa, we can't get the government to support you, so I have to make money anyway I can."_

Kerrigan found that part surprising, 'Erebus, apparently Fouquet has a conscience, and has a strong connection with this Tifa woman. Try to get me some additional information on them both.'

'Right away Mistress.'

" _. . . It's getting dangerous Matilda. I've had three bandit attacks in the past week alone. I can only wipe their memories so much."_

That got Kerrigan's attention, '_Memory wipes? There's no school of magic that I know of that can that.'_

"_It won't be long until I can get you to Tristain, a place where you and the kids can be safe from the coming war."_

'I've heard enough Centurions. Wait until the rest of the houses' residents go to bed, I will wake Matilda psionically. Hopefully she and I can have a little meeting about her plan.'

* * *

**Midnight**

Matilda of Sachsen-Gotha was embroiled in the same recurring nightmare she had been having ever since first fighting Kerrigan.

_Perhaps infestation will loosen your tongue? Do it._

All that kept going through her was a feeling of a terrible pain that shot from her brain straight into her toes as her mind and body were ripped apart.

At first the nightmares simply had her waking up screaming, paralyzed completely, often for nearly half an hour. Now she simply awoke in a cold sweat, just like the past several nights.

'Hello again Fouquet.'

In an instant Matilda sprung to her feet, wand in hand, "Who goes there?"

'I think you know who I am . . . Matilda.'

Her eyes widened instantly, _'K-Kerrigan.'_

'First guess, well done.'

'_What do you want with me and everyone here? I'm just staying here for the night!'_

'That's a lie and we both know that. This Tifa . . . she means a lot to you doesn't she?'

'_Leave them out of this Kerrigan! They are innocent in all of this!'_

A sigh passed through her mind, 'I know Matilda, yet I am a woman on a mission, finding you was not part of that mission however. Coming across you has proven to be to my advantage however.'

Matilda's eyes narrowed, '_What do you want? Vengeance? Money? I'll do anything-.'_

A chuckle, 'Careful with what you wish for Matilda. I'd prefer for our negotiations to be outside and away from the house, I do not wish for your hosts to be . . . disturbed.'

'_What's keeping you from killing me?'_

Matilda could feel the sneer on the other side, 'If I wanted you dead, I would've had a Guardian turn the entire cabin and all its occupants into paste from half way across the country. You have a chance to be useful to me, and as such I'm willing to offer things in return. Provided you come out to negotiate.'

Matilda silently began to weigh her options, but knew instantly it was better to be killed away from the house rather than near the children or Tifa. _'Fine, I'll play your game Kerrigan.'_

'Good, head out the front door, take forty paces, then turn completely to the left, and walk an additional 30 paces. Do not keep me waiting.'

Matilda felt the presence leave her mind, and instantly got dressed and slowly slinked outside, following Kerrigan's exact instructions.

'_Forty paces forward . . . thirty paces to the left.'_

When Matilda stopped moving she realized she had already been surrounded before she even left the house.

"**Drop the wand Matilda. It wouldn't do you any good at this point, considering I hold all the cards."**

She couldn't help but scowl as she dropped the wand out from her sleeve and into her remaining hand, then dropped it. Half way to the ground what felt like a brief buzzing sound was interrupted by the sound of a breaking wand, and a full sized bone spike imbedded in the tree next to her. Kerrigan walked into the moonlight, in her true form.

"What's your offer? Money?"

Kerrigan smiled, **"Safe haven for all you care for, potentially even you as well."**

Matilda's mouth dropped open, "Y-y-y-you can do that?"

She couldn't help but grin even wider, **"I have tremendous power Matilda, and I'm offering you a way out. There is one simple catch for this deal to go through."**

"There's always a catch, isn't there?"

"**Always has been, always will be."**

"Fine, I'll do it."

"**Excellent, just become my own double agent inside Reconquista."**

Her mouth dropped open, "You can't possibly imagine what you're asking."

"**I'm saying it aren't I? Work for me as a double, save your family. Simple."**

"Lady Sheffield will know in an instant of my betrayal, I need assurances if I fail they will be safe."

Kerrigan began tapping on her chin, **"I suppose I could get the children out, but no guarantees with Tifa. Besides, I can keep this Sheffield from causing you any trouble. I just need to do a little something to keep the Ring of Andvari from fully affecting you."** In an instant Kerrigan appeared in front of her and held a clawed hand to her head.

It was the last sensation Matilda felt before succumbing to unconsciousness.

* * *

'Mistress, should I even ask what just happened?'

Kerrigan shook her head, 'I erased her memory of our meeting more thoroughly this time, and left a psionic imprint on her soul. I can now take indirect control of her remotely.'

'The children and the Elf?'

'I'll have a squad of regulars come in and keep this place safe. No more bandit attacks for awhile for these folks. Move out.'

* * *

Matilda awoke from what felt like a whole other nightmare, feeling oddly at peace.

'_What happened last night?'_

* * *

**Thirty Kilometers Northeast of Newcastle**

**0200 Hours (LOCAL)**

Kerrigan and the Centurions moved through the forest with surprising speed and ease, sometimes jumping from tree to tree without even touching the ground. The Centurions were having only a little trouble keeping up with the currently human Kerrigan, their vastly enhanced reflexes and agility making them shockingly agile and responsive. In just less then two hours the group had covered some 75 kilometers, never stopping once.

'Stand down everyone, take five.'

Kerrigan and the Centurions slowed down in a small depression in the forest floor, allowing them to remain hidden, although in such an isolated location such hiding was hardly required.

'Past this point, everything becomes more difficult. The presence of anything human has been minimal, however, Newcastle is still an actual town and has been recently repopulated. The Erebus estimates the population to be just over a thousand, with a half a company of standard infantry as a garrison.'

Xeres raised a talon, 'We're to avoid them then?'

Kerrigan nodded, 'If at all possible, yes. While we won't have much to worry about from them, we would still have to cover our tracks.'

Oculus entered into the telepathic conversation, 'We would have to burn the town then?'

'That's the worst case scenario, but it won't work past a cursory inspection. Remember, the actual fortress of Newcastle is still relatively intact. The main battle here took place after Prince Wales' death and after I had left the country.'

Another Centurion, Kaskrin turned to Kerrigan, 'Mistress, do we have any idea where these artifacts are located?'

Kerrigan frowned, 'No idea to be honest. We'll have to look through the entire fortress, although to be honest, it's only going to be found in three particular areas; the throne room, the command building, and Royal quarters.'

'We best get started then.'

* * *

**A/N: And there is Part One of at least 2 for this Ghost Ops Mission! Take care folks!**

**Expect the next portion sometime soon!**

***The 250 kiloton number is one I picked out of thin air. It may or may not be accurate.**


	5. Operation: Defalcator Part 2

**A/N: Part Two of our first Ghost Ops Mission coming right at'cha!**

**(After some review answering)**

**Sacchin: She is not the villain that much I am willing to say. =) This was inspired by Metal Gear to an extent actually. I never played the games but the idea of a stealth based action game intrigued me.**

**Zaralann: Always good to hear from you =)**

**Lord Arthas: We PM'd about this, and a 250 kiloton warhead is fairly midrange on the modern nuclear scale, and incredibly dainty on the Starcraft or even the Halo one. While I never did find an accurate reading on the yield of a full sized Apocalypse-class warhead/missile deployed against Korhal IV, I'd estimate the full power to be around 5 megatons. **

**Now on 21****st**** century Earth, a 5 megaton warhead is on the much larger end of deployable warheads. Most warheads currently have less than a single megaton yield simply because with greater accuracy, higher yields are both unnecessary, and have far higher fallout and contamination concerns. A W80 nuclear cruise missile warhead is rated anywhere from 200-500 kilotons (half a megaton) and is considered the golden standard for nuclear strategic warfare.**

**Halo's nukes on the contrary have far greater yields, with the HAVOK series mines having a 30 megaton yield, and the ship-launched Shiva missiles having a 90 megaton monster warhead attached.**

* * *

**A little side-note on the Centurions you see here:**

**All Centurions can cloak, have Psionic shielding, vastly improved attack damage, attack/movement speed, all can Detect as short ranges, dramatically high health and shield numbers (Hero-Class), their own Psionic abilities, plus the ability to use magic sparingly. All of these abilities come at a price however, a Centurion must be created by morphing a standard Hydralisk into a Hunter Killer (500 minerals and 400 Vespene) and then be further upgraded to Centurion status (750 Minerals and Vespene for this alone). The Zerg Swarm is limited to 16 Centurions at any one time, due to the heavy resource drain involved in using them, and for obvious balance issues.**

**(They are one of the few Zerg units with an obvious gender identity)**

**Xeres****: Team Leader, has the most Psionic strength out of the entire team and has been morphed with all the knowledge of covert operations the Erebus could provide.**

**Oculus****: The team's observer and marksman, in addition to far greater sensory capabilities then most Centurions, let alone other Zerg, he has a sight range of 15, and can detect stealth units at a range of 13. He can also shoot his spikes past his own view, provided there is another Centurion that can guide his shots.**

**Wraith****: Team infiltrator and assassin, extremely high grade cloak and energy management abilities. Almost impossible to be detected by a Detector unit, even at extremely close range; can use Mirages and a new ability, Mind Flay to literally cause someone to stroke out.**

**Kaskrin****: Heavy weapons guy. Extremely heavy attack power, limited stealth ability and no burrow moving capability. Can use heavy offensive Psionic abilities with little energy drain.**

**Now, onto the story, Part 2 of Operation Defalcator!**

* * *

**Town of Newcastle**

**0230 Hours (LOCAL)**

The entire town of Newcastle was sleeping, blissfully unaware of the covert team slowly making its way block by block without being seen.

'Hold fast, a squad of regulars patrolling this street,' Oculus broadcasted to the team, including the Queen of Blades, back in her human form.

"Do you really think anyone will try anything stupid with us out in force? We can do whatever we want!"

"I'm feeling like taking a taste of the local culture, how about the rest of you?" Several acknowledging grunts answered the man as the eight man squad made their way past the team's position.

Wraith couldn't help but scowl, 'Disgusting males, always charging head first.'

Kaskrin sneered, 'Head-first.'

Kerrigan could feel her frustration, but they all had to focus on the mission, 'I know it's difficult to watch Wraith, but we have to push forward for now.'

'Understood Mistress, I meant no disrespect.'

'How is beating on the boys disrespecting me Wraith?'

Thoughts of humor passed through the group as the team quickly slinked across one of the last streets, before reaching the edge of the fortress.

Oculus briefed the team on what he could see, 'We have approximately 4 patrols of four infantrymen each making uniform search patterns across the courtyard that leads into the actual fortress itself. The moat as you see is rather deep and fairly wide, meaning to burrow would take an exorbitant amount of time and energy.'

Wraith chimed in, 'So we have to sneak directly inside then, rather than go below ground?' The Centurions could sense the excitement in the infiltrator's thoughts, Wraith loved sneaking around and scaring the unholy crap out of anyone (or anything) she could.

'That seems to be the case, the choice remains yours in any case Mistress.'

Kerrigan placed a closed fist into her right hand, 'Cloak and move in, keep your distance from one another and move slowly. I would prefer to limit hostile contact to an absolute minimum.'

Eight acknowledgements came through the connection as the group started to advance, minus Kaskrin and a second Centurion stayed outside to watch the perimeter for reinforcements.

'Hold.' The soldiers looked straight at Kerrigan, seemingly confused, before shrugging and passing onwards, 'Move forward.' The group of 7 spread themselves out, with ten meters in between each of them and slowly crawled into the fortress grounds.

Xeres reached out to his eyes outside, 'Kaskrin, situation report.'

'Quiet here boss, not even a suspicion that you were ever there. We'll call if we see anything out of the ordinary.'

'Acknowledged,' Xeres closed the connection as he turned to Kerrigan, 'We're clear Mistress, no signs of us being detected.'

Kerrigan nodded as she drew her AGR-14, modified with a suppressor and case-less ammunition, 'Push into the upper levels, and avoid contact at all costs. Use deadly force to silence anyone who sees you, and then dispose of the bodies.'

Her orders literally meant that the Centurions were to consume the remains of their kills to give the illusion that the individuals had simply deserted and vanished without a trace.

* * *

**0300 Hours (LOCAL)**

Kerrigan slowly tip-toed into what appeared to be a section of Guest Quarters, finding the place unnaturally quiet, she activated her Ghost Visor's alternate vision modes to scour the rooms for activity. She was not disappointed by the results.

'Everyone be advised, many of these rooms have sleeping occupants. Use your senses to scout out potential ambush sites and additional troops.' Several acknowledgements came through as Kerrigan continued to scan the rooms from the outside for potential clues to where their treasure may be located.

*CREEEAK*

Kerrigan froze and jumped straight for the ceiling, latching on with hastily grown claws, 'Someone is awake and moving in the East Guest Quarters.'

Acknowledgements came as what appeared to be a young female recruit was wandering the halls, sleepwalking.

'_Great, a sleepwalker, just what I need. Well, best make sure she doesn't cause me any problems.'_

Kerrigan slowly drifted back down to the ground and slowly reached towards her. Kerrigan lightly took her chin in her right hand, and the back of her head in her left and quickly yanked the recruit's head in an unnatural direction.

*SNAP*

The young woman dropped into Kerrigan's arms, dead before she landed. Her neck hung loosely to the side, her upper four cervical vertebrae shattered into dust by Kerrigan's immense natural strength.

'One kill, female sleepwalker. Watch for others, and if you have to make a kill, keep it quiet.'

Kerrigan couldn't consume the bodies like the Centurions could, and was forced to slowly take her back into her room, and stage her death as a suicide. She used a heavy bed sheet and a sturdy hook built into the wall to make it appear as if she hung herself. It wouldn't make it past a cursory inspection, but it would keep the attention off of the infiltrators for a short time.

* * *

Centurion Wraith was slinking her way through the fortress's narrow, winding hallways, finding dried blood on the walls and floors of several major passages.

'_There was a brutal fight here, one for the history books. I would've liked to have been here to see it.'_

Wraith heard voices and immediately shrunk against the wall as a pair of Pikemen casually walked by, giggling like children as the two males hung on to one another. She waited until the door had closed and the sounds of passion and pain began to come through her hearing before moving onwards, towards a private study.

The sound of ruffling pages came through to Wraith's enhanced senses, causing her to flinch as she began to listen to a voice, speaking in English!

". . . The captain said I could find books on this magic here, such rubbish. Who even uses books anymore?"

'Mistress, I think I just found something rather suspicious, patching you in.'

"I still don't believe we're working for those religious people, bunch of fucking charlatans preaching the word of their Founder. At least that old religion . . . oh what was it called . . . ah yes, Buddhism, that's what it was. At least Buddhism made a little more sense about things."

'Okay, I'm convinced that this is rather suspicious.'

"Forget it, I'm tired of all these nobles saying magic this, and magic that. Magic isn't real, it's unnatural, and I'm going to fucking bed."

Wraith cloaked herself and waited in a shadow for the clearly annoyed human to pass through and head back to the Guest Quarters.

* * *

Kerrigan was in a state of shock, '_How could someone from Halkeginia know about old Earth religions? Virtually no one practiced any religion back in the Koprulu Sector at all, so it couldn't be someone from back home-.'_

She shook her head, _'I'll have to worry about this later, first objective is to find these damned artifacts and go back to Tristain.'_

A sudden distortion in her vision caught her attention and immediately surprised the normally stoic former Ghost operative.

'_It's a cloaking field, not a half bad one either.'_

Kerrigan reached into the crevice where the distortion laid and was surprised to find a small case, decorated with little opulence or fanfare.

She opened the case after scanning it to find a series of various objects that seemed to bend the air and light around them.

'_Old school cloaking generators? Invisibility is considered a square class air spell; it is possible they mistook the magical aspects of invisibility for these devices.'_

'I believe I found what we are looking for everyone. Make your way slowly back to the fortress entrance, dawn is coming soon.'

* * *

**0730 Hours (Local)**

The Zerg infiltration team had regrouped after leaving the fortress, an experience which ended up taking longer than getting in, due to the increase in guard presence near the beginning of dawn.

In total, the team had uncovered only the one cache of artifacts they had been sent to retrieve, thankfully they hadn't been discovered and moved to Londinium. The search for them there could've taken days, and such a search had a very high failure probability. Now it was time to head to the northern portion of the country to seek out their secondary objective.

'Erebus, is the team that is designated to protect the orphanage ready?'

'Yes Mistress, they are currently set up three hundred meters to the west of the orphanage, with six pairs of Raptor Zerglings patrolling the surrounding area, while the remainder of the team remains buried on the road leading to the orphanage.

* * *

**Westwood Forest**

Tiffania Westwood awoke slowly, as her brain retreated from its dream state and returned to reality. It was another day managing the Westwood Orphanage.

_'I hope we don't have any problems with bandits today, it's becoming more and more difficult to deal with them every day.'_

Tifa wasn't a violent person toward anyone, and doing any more then erasing the memories of those that find her and orphanage was simply something she was incapable of.

She went over to Matilda's room to find it empty, the bed freshly made.

_'She's already long gone.'_

She missed her half sister more then anything, she always could keep her and the kids safe. She was unfortunately the only one who could bring home money to keep the orphanage on its feet. As an Elf, she couldn't ask the government for help, before, or during the revolution.

The blonde Elf looked to her mother's ring with worry, "What should I do mother?"

* * *

**Albion National Highway**

The group of infiltrators had followed the road back towards Westwood Forest as they made their way to their secondary objective located in the mountains. As they passed through the section near the orphanage, Oculus picked up movement.

'Mistress, it looks like another bandit group is wandering into the forest.'

Kerrigan smiled, 'Leave them to the Raptors, they need their fun too.'

As the Zerg watched, a platoon of mercenaries turned bandits sulked into the forest, following the road to where some have said a poorly guarded orphanage with a beautiful young woman was at.

"I'm enjoying the thought of ravaging that young beauty!"

A series of chuckles answered him, "Yeah, supposedly she has the body of an angel, and the innocence of one too."

More laughter emerged as the group of Raptors surrounded them, noticed only when the typically silent member of their team halted, earning the attention of his squadmates.

"Hey, Benny! Why did you stop?"

Benny's eyes went side to side, "We're not alone." The group's smiles darkened considerably as what Benny said began to sink in, "We're surrounded-."

*SCRRAAAWWW*

Before Benny could complete his sentence a Raptor had leapt from a tree branch at him, tearing its claws through his torso, cleaving him into four grotesque pieces as the others charged in, simply wiping out the 18 man bandit clan in a matter of moments.

Tiffania thought she heard screams in the distance, but immediately dismissed them, "Probably just the kids messing around again."

Kerrigan meanwhile was smiling at the results of the Raptor's ambush. The entire bandit group had been turned into a set of bloody chunks by the raider type Zerg, and were currently being cleaned up by an Infestor which had come with the group.

'I think they'll be just fine.'

* * *

**2030 Hours (LOCAL)**

The team continued to make their way through the forests, dodging towns and villages on the way towards Mount Vernon, the location given to Kerrigan by the Arch-Duchess.

As the group settled in for their first overwatch they immediately began to notice signs that someone had been preparing for them.

'Are you seeing what I am seeing Centurions?' Several acknowledgements came through as Kerrigan scratched her chin. She went prone and looked down the scope of her rifle to find several archers wearing camoflguae along with several war beasts, among them several full grown Orcs.

'Well, I don't see much of a reason to make this more complicated then it has to be. Time to ask for a little help . . .'

* * *

'Oh Elliot!'

Lord Elliot of Tarbes spilled his scorching hot tea across his lap, causing the former Ghost to start screaming obscenities as he tried to keep the now soaked trousers from making contact with his manhood.

'Sarah, you're timing is God awful, you know that?'

Elliot swore he heard Kerrigan snort through the line, 'I apologize Elliot, is that better?' As he was about to respond he was interrupted, 'Good to hear it Elliot. I need some close air support to deliver the pain on an enemy position in Albion. Can you help me out here?'

'Since you asked so nicely, I have a Banshee pilot available, with a full load of munitions and a functioning cloak ready to go.'

'Wonderful! Here are the coordinates . . .'

* * *

**2345 Hours Local**

'Hit me.'

Something that entertained Kerrigan was how the Centurions had picked up human talents and habits in their short time in service, card games and gambling being one of their less honorable ones.

The group looked at each other, waiting to see who would bust first in their twelfth round of Blackjack, only to have Kaskrin lay down the Ace of Spades and the Queen of Hearts, "Blackjack, assholes!"

The group both audibly and Psionically groaned as the team showed their losing hands, causing Kaskrin to give the Hydralisk equivalent of a giddy smirk before they were interrupted.

_"Valadon 1 to Centurion Actual, I am on station and awaiting fire orders, over."_

"Acknowledged Valadon 1, stand by for fire solutions." Kerrigan turned to the Centurions, 'Want to go ruin someone's day?'

The Centurions all looked to one another and seemingly grinned.

It was party time.

The archers on duty had their conversations interrupted by what sounded to be a bunch of attacking wasps coming at them. As they turned to the skies they were impaled by multiple bone spikes launched from beyond visual range.

The entire ambushing party instead became the ambushed as the Centurions rushed their positions, spewing bone spikes and Psionic attacks at the waiting troops, slaughtering them. One mage in the group managed to launch a line-class Firebolt at Kaskrin, only to have it be absorbed by his ludicrously powerful shields and become immolated by Kaskrin's own fire magic spell, one that had been properly titled Hellfire.

The charging Orcs came at the group with no fear in their eyes before being blasted apart by the Banshee that had been cloaked and awaiting the green-skin's move with great anticipation. In just over sixty seconds the entire fight had come to an end, proving that the secondary objective was in fact a not-so cleverly hidden trap.

Kerrigan smiled as she placed her hands on her hips, "I love it when a plan comes together."

* * *

**Royal Palace**

**Early Morning**

Kerrigan couldn't help but stretch as she popped out of the Overlord's ventral sac with a noticeable *POP* sound. She still was holding onto the bag of artifacts that she had found in the Guest Quarters, and the artifacts were clinking around in the duffel bag as she walked towards the Guest Quarters in the Palace proper.

"Lady Kerrigan, I didn't expect you so soon. How did your mission go?"

Sarah smiled, "It went well Arch-Duchess. We recovered the artifacts and escaped undetected." She handed the duffel bag over to the former Queen before explaining what she had found, "These are not actually magical artifacts, they are ancient cloaking devices."

The Arch-Duchess seemed confused, "Cloaking devices?"

"Pieces of technology which grant the user invisibility for a short time. I don't know if they are even safe to use at this point."

Marianne nodded, "I understand Lady Kerrigan, thank you for your services once again." Kerrigan nodded and walked out, at the same time opening a conversation with the Erebus.

'Erebus, did you uncover any details of who this Tifa, or Tiffania is?'

'Nothing solid I'm afraid Mistress. I have only a few reports, but all are conflicting. We have rumors that have her being heir to the throne of Albion to one saying that she is a user of the Void. Most don't even mention her being an Elf, so we really are in the dark about her.'

Kerrigan frowned, 'I'm surprised the artifacts were Protoss in origin. They seem to have a lot of connections to this world.'

'That was unforeseen, this Brimir may have been more then just a Void Mage.'

'All too likely Erebus. The only way to know more though is to hope Fouquet comes through on her part of the deal.'

'I believe she will, we hold all the cards. Will you keep your word on rescuing Tifa and the kids if Fouquet does fail?'

Kerrigan sighed, 'I will be keeping that promise to her. I will have to go through unofficial channels however, due to her Elf heritage.'

'You mean smuggle her into the country?'

'It would be the simplest solution for us, give her a place to stay with the kids in the North of Tristain, not far from the Hive Cluster.'

'Should I prepare for that possibility Mistress?'

Kerrigan took a moment to think before answering, 'Do it Erebus. I want to know what this girl can do before I toss her away.'

'Yes Mistress.'

* * *

**Holy Romalian Empire – Aquileia**

**36 Hours Earlier**

Rear Admiral Thomas Dufay stood at ease in front of the man that had made their new lives a reality. If it weren't for the Pope of Romalia there was a good chance he and all of his men would be dead. This was the first time in 2 years he had been in Aquileia, let alone in the Papal Palace.

"Your Holiness? What do you need from me?"

"I need you to be prepared, there is a familiar within the country of Tristain that could spell the end of Founderism and our way of life here in Halkeginia. Her name is Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char."

A shock went through Dufay's mind at the name of said familiar, but played along, "I doubt one woman could be such a threat to someone like yourself Your Holiness."

"It is the weapons and beasts of war called Zerg that are the greatest threat this Church has ever faced."

"I will be prepared Your Holiness."

Vittorio smiled at the Rear Admiral, "Bless you Admiral in your life and in your endeavors."

He bowed deeply in reverence to the Pope and walked out the door.

He smirked as he walked out of sight and into the halls, "Foolish man, he has no idea what he dealing with. Pope Vittorio McDongCopter has no inkling of just how powerful she is."

'_I will not fail this time, I will kill the Queen of Blades. For DuGalle . . .'_

He took a moment before continuing his thought,

'_And for Earth.'_

* * *

And the plot advances! Now you see why this isn't an Omake?

Standard episodes return next time, with our MC's meeting Julio and the visit to the Starbase.

I've posted 2014's Story Schedule on my Profile Bio page, so go take a look and see what new stories are coming in the near future!

Take care everyone!


	6. Priest

**A/N: Let's get this show on the road! Back to the main plot… after the standard review answering!**

**Celestia's Paladin: SHES IN IT DEEEEP! DEEEEEP!**

**Sacchin: If only ignorance was bliss… but Kerrigan is hardly ignorant.**

**DarkOwl: It gets serious, let's leave it at that.**

**Foldguy: Dufay is in fact someone from the UED, but he is not explicitly mentioned in the games, but rather one of the novels. He also had the rank of Lieutenant in said novel, so he's been promoted quite a bit. By necessity or success? Anyone's guess.**

**Zaralann: Always good to hear you're short reviews :) Carry on!**

**Lord Arthas: Your ideas are completely nuts. And I mean that in a good way :) This series really isn't designed to have Omakes like you see in Manga or Anime however, the season OVA's fill that role typically. I'm not willing to say who else from the UED is there, or just how many forces Dufay has under his control. **

**Yet.**

* * *

**Magic Academy**

**Dorms**

Louise Francoise Le Blanc de La Valliere awoke to the sound of chirping birds and a bright sunrise. She rubbed her eyes before moving off the bed. Even after all her training and Zerg enhancement, she was still not a morning person. She sat down on the stool in front of her wardrobe and began to brush her trimmed hair, eyes still only half open. Per Kerrigan's instructions, all hair had to be at shoulder length or shorter to prevent any hang-ups or problems during training.

'Mistress Louise?' 

The Erebus' greeting startled Louise, bringing her completely aware of her surroundings in an instant, 'Yes Erebus?'

'Mistress Kerrigan has returned to the Academy and is planning on having a meeting with all Ghost Acolytes at eight AM sharp.'

Louise yawned loudly, and without covering her mouth, 'Thank you Erebus.' She couldn't help but wonder, just where had she gone for the past few days?

After cleaning up Louise donned her typical school attire and hooked her AGR-14 under her mantle. As Tristain was effectively at war now, all the Acolytes were to be armed at all times. As a noblewoman she was still uncomfortable with using such a weapon instead of a wand and magic, a gift from the Founder Himself. The AGR-14 was powerful enough however that her own magic (and most of Halkeginia's) had no equivalent to it. Louise shrugged and walked out the door to meet Kirche, whose chest was put proudly on display.

"Hell-lo Louise."

Louise's eyes narrowed, "Zerbst."

What is it Louise? Lost your familiar again?"

Louise saw Kerrigan appear from behind Kirche like a phantom with what Kerrigan once called a 'shit-eating grin.'

Kirche gulped nervously, "She's right behind me isn't she?"

"I've been behind you this whole time Kirche, you should know better than to talk trash. It's not like you could beat her anyways."

Kirche looked back towards Kerrigan who still sported the same grin on her face, "We'll talk later, Louise and I have much to discuss." She went over to Louise and whisked her out of the building as quickly as student traffic allowed.

Louise turned to Kerrigan, "So Sarah, where were you these past few days?"

Kerrigan kept looking forward, "On assignment, I can't say any more then that at this point."

She nodded and quit asking, Louise learned long ago that getting information from Kerrigan was more difficult then squeezing water from a rock.

Louise found herself in Alviss Hall among the other Acolytes a cup of tea in front of each of them, as Kerrigan began to speak, "Good to see you all made it, now onto today's schedule. We have marksmanship training after breakfast on the eastern portion of the Academy. . ."

As the schedule was discussed Louise began to daze off and daydream, only to be interrupted by a karate chop to the side of her head.

"Hey! What was that for Sarah?!"

You weren't listening Louise," Kerrigan deadpanned in an instant, getting a chuckle out of those in listening range.

"What I was trying to say is that we are going to be looking for additional recruits based on their Psionic strength only. You three will separately decide who has enough strength to become a fellow Acolyte, only based on their Psionic power level, not by appearance or any other means of identification."

Siesta raised her hand, "There's going to be more of us Sarah?"

Kerrigan nodded, "I was on assignment over the past few days, and I realized we need additional Ghosts for other missions. We only have one team, and have to take on one mission at a time. Should we need to complete multiple missions we'd be hard-pressed to successfully complete one mission, let alone several."

The Acolytes nodded, it did make sense to have extra Ghosts available. No one ever had an army of just four people before, and they didn't think Kerrigan was into such small numbers.

"So I want you to close your eyes, and seek out the strongest signature each one of you can find here in the Academy, and GO!"

The girls stood up, eyes tightly shut as their own power began to guide them like a second set of eyes towards the strongest Psionic source they could find. They began to stumble around and some began to laugh before getting a harsh glance from Kerrigan. After a few minutes of hilarious shuffling and bruises across their lower bodies, each Acolyte found someone and opened their eyes . . . To find all three of them groping first year Katie de Verdun in various places, earning a series of chuckles from the observing student and faculty bodies.

All three screamed out, "I AM SO SORRY!"

Kerrigan couldn't help but began to laugh hysterically, "Not what you were expecting was it?"

Katie, still beet red and shaking turned to Kerrigan, "Was that really necessary Lady Kerrigan?"

"It was, and the reason for such can be answered, if you follow me." Katie looked nervously around towards her friends who were gesturing at her to follow Lady Kerrigan to wherever she had intended. She began to twiddle her thumbs and fidget as she was pulled into a side room.

Kerrigan looked at her in the eyes, "Do you know why I called you in here?"

Katie nervously shook her head, "No Lady Kerrigan, I do not."

Her expression lightened considerably, "You aren't in trouble, and in fact you have an interesting offer open to you if you'd care to accept it."

Katie immediately relaxed, "What sort of offer are you dealing Lady Kerrigan?"

She snapped her fingers, "Perhaps you should take a look." A set of lights appeared on a wall in the room, with a suit of Ghost armor, a redesigned mantle issued only to members of the Tristain Ghost Corps, and an AGR-14 Gauss Rifle.

Katie brought her hands to her face both in shock and embarrassment, "You're saying I could become a Ghost?"

Kerrigan smiled at the young first year, "The post is open to you, if you should choose to accept it. The title of Dame will be issued to you, with all the privileges and responsibilities entailed. You will be the Queen's eyes, and ears at home, hearing the woes of the people; and her scalpel in war time, as you destroy Her Majesty's enemies. It's a post fraught with danger and stress, and you may give up parts of your childhood or your very life in Her Majesty's service."

Katie couldn't help but jump into the air repeatedly, "Yes, yes! I accept!"

Kerrigan smiled, "I'm glad to hear it, Acolyte Verdun."

After informing Katie of all the new rules she would be following into the near future, Kerrigan rejoined Louise as she went to her first class of the day, but the pair ended up going towards the front of the Academy. What they found surprised them.

"Sarah, I think all the boys have enlisted in the army for the coming war."

She nodded; the tearful goodbyes and wishes of good luck and safe return were clear indicators of this. Kerrigan couldn't help but mutter, "If I just had that war declaration I could end this war in a few weeks with minimal human casualties."

Louise leaned on her, causing Kerrigan to start thinking on just how futile it all was. The human race was a naturally destructive and apathetic civilization whose very nature was one of war.

A glint of light caught Kerrigan's attention instantly as she saw an object in the sky beginning to approach the Academy at high speed. Louise looked to Kerrigan who's face had contorted into a snarl, "What is it Sarah?"

The goodbyes were interrupted by the Dragon landing in the courtyard, grabbing the attention of all the female students with a mere glance. He threw back his hair with an exaggerated shake earning sounds of excitement from the females in the crowd and disdain from the men.

The part that instantly registered wrong with Kerrigan was when he skipped all the girls in the Academy and walked straight up to Louise, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles, "Hello, I am Julio Chesare, I am a new transfer student from Romalia, please take care of me from now on."

'_Trouble.'_

* * *

"As we heat up the flame, note how it changes color. The color of the flame is essential for the proper smelting of certain alloys such as bronze and steel."

Kerrigan actually enjoyed going to the Magic Academy's lectures on magic and magic theory. It was a chance to learn something new and refreshing then the near encyclopedic knowledge base she had courtesy of the Swarm's many conquests.

What she didn't like was this new priest-boy who seemed to draw the attention of the unwary with nothing but his looks. Kirche and every girl in the room was focused on the blonde pretty boy, the blushing faces and sets of legs being rubbed against each other were clear signs that the kid had them under his spell.

_'Even Louise isn't immune to his charms. I hope she realizes just how bad things can get now-.'_

*CRASH*

Kerrigan's thoughts were interrupted by several sets of armored boots running into the classroom, led by Agnes, earning a look of rage from Professor Colbert.

"What is the meaning of this intrusion?!"

Kerrigan couldn't help but face palm, this wasn't going to end well for Colbert.

"By orders of the Musketeer Squadron and the Royal Court all classes are cancelled until further notice!"

A second Musketeer chimed in, "All students report to the courtyard for combat drills."

"Belay that!" I see Colbert looking to me for advice as I quickly began to shake my head in disapproval.

*SCHINK*

In an instant Agnes sword was drawn-.

*CLANK*

-And intercepted by Kerrigan's now armored forearm.

Julio's mouth dropped, along with the quill in his hand, '_What in the Founder's name was that, and how in the Hell did she get there in an instant?!'_

"Stay out of my way Lady Kerrigan!"

"Stop this charade Dame Milan, I will not allow the blood of non-combatants to be shed on these grounds."

"You of all people would interfere with a Royal Order?!"

"If necessary, yes! Yes I would Dame Milan, but clearly you're taking it out of context to satiate your own pent up aggression!"

Agnes reached into her armor for a Flintlock pistol, only to be interrupted by a Psionic Lightning bolt shot a foot from her foot. Both of us saw Louise pointing with a single finger, her eyes glowing slightly red, "I will not tolerate anyone trying to harm my familiar or my professor."

Julio began to drool, '_Wand-less casting? I didn't even hear an incantation! Just how powerful are Kerrigan and the Void user?'_

Kerrigan snapped her head to scowl at Julio who visibly flinched from her glare, mostly out of surprise.

She motioned with her head towards the students, "Head outside, the Musketeers will be joining you out there. You too Louise."

Agnes gave a vicious scowl to Kerrigan who ignored it, maintaining eye contact with her hands at all times until she left the room. She turned her eyes towards Julio, who watched her with great interest as he walked out. She turned back to Colbert, "Are you alright Professor?"

He nodded, "I just don't want to bring war to the Academy."

"You've seen a lot as a soldier I'd imagine." Kerrigan sat down next to him as he slid to the floor.

Colbert seemed to freeze at that, before Kerrigan continued, "I was the same way believe it or not. All the killing and slaughter, it was an endless cycle. You have been able to find some degree of redemption in being a teacher of magic, rather than a soldier using magic. I envy you in that sense."

She turned to him, "When you want to talk about all those feelings in there," she poked at his chest where his heart would be, "Come and find me."

* * *

Meanwhile in the courtyard, the Musketeer Squadron was teaching the students how to fight with a practice staff.

'_These people are so behind in their methods of warfare. Time to grab Louise, and Katie for a private lesson.'_

Julio however was faster than Kerrigan, reaching Louise and asking her to spar with him. The rest of the girls seemed livid with her success with him so far, but none seemed to be suspicious of him which irritated Kerrigan to no end. Louise's massive blush only proved to infuriate Kerrigan more. She charged him with the staff, but instead of passing directly past him, she flipped through the air landing behind him and striking him in the left Achilles, taking him to the ground as she jumped onto his back, holding a Psionic Whip over his head.

Kerrigan couldn't help but grin as she shook her head; Louise wasn't completely under his control at least. Her eyes darted to the side to see a Musketeer attempting to sneak up on her with a pair of wooden swords, the opposite side of her face turned into a grin as she Psionically pulled back a tree branch between the two and let it rip, clothes-lining the junior Musketeer square in the jaw.

She couldn't help but laugh as she materialized on top of the blue haired Musketeer, a sharpened claw at her throat with her now signature huge 'shit eating grin' across her face, "Not bad for your first try, but I'm notoriously difficult to sneak up on."

"How'd you hear me?"

Kerrigan raised an eyebrow, "I didn't. I just felt it. Some people call it a sixth sense, one of impending doom." Her grin reappeared, "Mine happens to be a detector of impending doom for others."

The Musketeer couldn't help but chuckle, "Fair enough Lady Kerrigan, can I get up now?"

The former Ghost smiled, "Of course Dame..?"

She smiled back, "Just Michelle Lady Kerrigan."

The pair shook hands as they turned to see Agnes leading the students in a typical sparring exercise.

"You trained the pink-haired one?"

Kerrigan nodded, "She's a quick study, she's as powerful as me, but with her heritage that's not surprising." Michelle turned to Kerrigan in confusion before she continued on, "Ah my mistake, most people don't know she's the daughter of Karin "The Heavy Wind.""

Her eyes widened at that as she continued, "The same Karin is arguably my best friend on the continent."

"I thought she wasn't very social, especially to other women."

"Key word being 'was.' Ever since we met after Louise was seriously hurt we've been close. One of the few people I could relate to-."

"Dame!" Agnes took that moment to interrupt, "I told you to duel Lady Kerrigan with a blade not with your tongue!"

A bellowing laughter went through the Musketeers from the double entendre as Michelle's face reddened, all the while being smacked on the shoulder by Kerrigan, "She kicked my ass with a tree branch Captain!" The laughter erupted again as several students joined in, applauding the Musketeer's good sportsman attitude on her defeat.

Kerrigan saw Julio approach her at a modest pace, keeping up his pretty boy demeanor as he reached out with an extended hand, "Ah, Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char, the Shield of Tristain I presume?"

'Not many know my full title and status as Royal Champion here in Tristain, let alone outside the country, he knows far too much.' She put up a smile and gave her hand to the Knight, who kissed her knuckles while keeping eye contact.

'_Most weaker women would fall for such a move, not bad._' Kerrigan cocked her head, "I'm impressed you are aware of my full title Sir Chesare, you are well-informed."

Julio's eye twitched at what she was implying, _**'I know who you are, and what you're doing here.'**_

He recovered quickly and with a smirk responded, "You are well known in Romalia for your actions in Tarbes just a few weeks ago."

Kerrigan continued the political banter, "Of course, I'm sure many have expressed interest in me."

What the pair had only begun to realize was just how much attention the two had garnered from everyone, including the servant staff members and the other Acolytes who watched from the shadows.

Katie seemed lost, "What's going on commoners?" The related Ghosts scowled at Katie, earning a squeak out of her, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Siesta crossed her arms, "You did; you forgot that the Tristain Ghost Corps are not just a knightly order, but Psionics are technically considered magic users by the Royal Court. So we are no longer commoners but true nobles through our powers and our titles."

"I'm sorry Acolyte Siesta; it is a tough habit for me to break."

She shrugged, "It's unimportant, what is important is that Kerrigan does not like this new guy who came to the Academy."

"He's dressed too perfectly," Jessica added, "He's far more powerful and influential then he appears."

Siesta turned to Jessica, "Do you think he's with the Church?"

Jessica nodded, "It's quite likely, and the Church probably heard of the events at Tarbes awhile ago and already informed the Inquisition."

"T-t-the Inquisition?!" Katie managed to slip out, a look of horror across her features.

"We have nothing to fear from them, that's what Kerrigan told us during training. We as Psionics can be considered mages that use the mind as a source of power. We are just as powerful as the mages, and we grow with practice. We also have a born potential to use Psionic abilities, much like a mage can harness the elements by birthright."

Siesta took Katie's shoulder, "The Inquisition can't touch us, and Kerrigan's Brood is so powerful I doubt anyone could stop her if she went all out."

Katie nodded nervously, "If you say so."

'_I wonder what Lord Guiche would think of me?'_

"Hush! I think something is happening!"

Gasps spread throughout the courtyard.

"A spar Sir Chesare? If my Acolyte could defeat you, what chance do you feel you have against me?"

"None of your magic, just you and a wooden practice sword. One hour. Are you interested?"

Kerrigan could never resist a challenge; with a slick grin and extended handshake she accepted, "You're on pretty boy, oh and if you lose, you have to scrub me head to toe."

* * *

"What was all that about Sarah?" Louise glared at Kerrigan, clearly annoyed by her typical hubris.

"He's trying to get a baseline for my abilities, and by proxy, all of yours and report back to the Church. At the lowest level he could be reporting to the House of Cardinals, at the highest he could be answering to the Pope himself." Whispers of concern went through the Acolytes as she continued, "You must show the highest respect for the beliefs of the Church as you go about your duties at all times. While I can protect you from the Inquisition, I can't keep Henrietta from being pressured by the Church to give us up. I want them to have no excuses to go after us, clear?"

Several nods, all with looks of concern answered, but Siesta had one question, "Why are you making a man scrub you down?"

"He's a priest, and I need a good bath. Why not make his humiliation complete?"

* * *

**One Hour Later**

Kerrigan stood ready in her Ghost suit, her power limiters all full active, keeping her Psionic abilities suppressed. She stretched out her legs and the rest of her body with a series of quick exercises, earning an occasional gawk from Julio who had shed his outer jacket and high grade slacks for a set of shorts, combat boots, and a basic shirt.

'Erebus, made sure the Zerg in the area don't interfere with the duel. I don't want any interruptions to my victory.'

She could sense the irritation in the Erebus' thoughts, 'Of course Mistress.'

"So, you ready Priest?"

"Any time you're ready."

She smiled and began to dash at Julio, blade held behind and to the side as she nearly materialized in front of him, causing him to block instinctively. Wooden swords struck against one another as Kerrigan struck harshly and mercilessly. Each hit sapped at Julio's very strength as the hits seemed to drain the energy from his very soul.

CLUNK

CLINK

CLUNK

The ridiculously fast spar was impossible to watch with the naked eye; the only thing that the observers could tell was that Julio was on the defensive.

What Kerrigan was happy about was the fact she didn't need to use her familiar powers to give her additional options in the fight. The Swarm had countless guides to swordsmanship available, and equally countless forms and styles to choose from. While Kerrigan preferred the Berserker type attack form (a form which mixed well with her nigh-invulnerability), she instead took on a modified Kendo form, designed with straight, single handed blades in mind.

Even though Julio's own training with a blade far outstretched Kerrigan's, he had no knowledge of the techniques that she brought to bear, effectively cutting down his own advantage.

His eyes widened, '_There_!' He went for a stabbing maneuver where Kerrigan's diaphragm would be-.

-Only to find empty space when he should've impacted. His eyes widened as he realized that she moved _so fast_ that she left a mirror image behind-.

SMASH

Julio found himself flying through the air, the wind knocked out of him as he careened into the ground face first before cart-wheeling to a stop. He could taste a copper liquid in his mouth and felt the strain on his ribcage every time he took a breath, let alone move his body. He climbed to his feet to see Kerrigan still holding her non-sword hand out in an open palm strike position.

_'She did that with a single hand thrust? But, how did she get such strength-.'_

His thought would've continued on with his questions had the pain from the impact not caught up with him. He fell to his knees as blood began to dribble out of his mouth and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Lord Chesare!" The girls rushed to the pretty boy's side as Kerrigan cracked her back and wiped a small glint of sweat from her brow.

She smiled, "Not half bad kid, not half bad." Throwing the blade into the ground she walked off to meet with her Acolytes to begin the day's training.

* * *

Kerrigan cleared her throat, "alright Acolytes, we have a new member today, please welcome Acolyte Katie." A short applause greeted the brunette, her signature locks cut into a bob and dressed in her Academy uniform.

"You're out of uniform Acolyte, explain to us why you cannot wear the same uniform?"

Katie immediately went flush, "I'm not sure how to put it on Lady Kerrigan!"

Brief giggles passed through the senior Acolytes before they were silenced by Kerrigan's scowl, which turned into another massive grin, "Tough talk ladies, if I remember correct Siesta I had to fucking manhandle those jugs into your Ghost suit the first time; and don't get me started on you Louise."

Nervous blushes passed through both of them as Kerrigan turned back to Katie, "The Ghosts are technically co-ed, and modesty has little importance. So strip and get into your suit Acolyte, be grateful there aren't any men to embarrass yourself in front of."

Kerrigan pulled Katie behind a curtain with one arm and dragging Katie's suit with the other.

"Well, do you need me to say it again?"

N-n-n-no Lady Kerrigan!" She nervously took off her purple mantle and shoes, followed by her white silk blouse and black skirt. She turned back to Kerrigan, who shook her head, causing Katie to go a dark crimson before removing her green camisole and matching hip-huggers.

Kerrigan opened the back of the suit; Katie effectively stepped inside and realized just how tight the outfit was on her. It was almost impossible to breathe in it.

"Just relax Acolyte, the suit has to adjust to your proportions. All Ghost suits are made to be one size fits all, and you'll need to wear it frequently to ensure it stretches to fit you best."

She did a quick once over before turning a mirror at Katie, causing her to gawk and redden, "By the Founder, I didn't realize I looked this good." She glanced down, noticed two rather obvious nipples poking through the suit and blushed even darker, "We'll need to cover those up I think." Kerrigan nodded and handed her one lightly armored chest piece to place on top of her torso, after Katie placed it, the armor piece molded into the shape of her body while preserving the modesty Katie wanted to maintain.

After finding the suit to be a good fit, she draped the mantle of the Ghost Corps across her, a blood red phantom decorating the back of the white mantle itself.

"Take your seat Acolyte." Katie bowed slightly and sat with the rest of the girls, who all silently congratulated her.

"Alright, now that we have the formalities out of the way let's get to today's business, we have a two mile run to start, and a physical stress test to see where you're all at. Afterwards, we'll be going straight to marksmanship training. . ."

* * *

Acolyte Katie de Verdun was panting, nearly to the point of her tongue flapping in the wind from Kerrigan's grueling (or at least what constituted grueling to Katie) physical training. She had nearly completed her two mile run; it had felt like an eternity.

"39 minutes and 12 seconds for a two mile run. Good God Acolyte, were you _crawling_ this whole time?"

Katie face-planted herself into the fountain to cool herself off, looks of horror and pity were cast at her as her classmates saw just how badly out of shape she was. That, and how horrifying it must be to be trained by Lady Sarah Kerrigan.

"Katie, please keep up the pace, I have shot at the other Acolytes before to get them moving, so don't think I won't do the same." A look of horror crept across her face before she collapsed in a heap, causing Kerrigan to face palm hard in frustration, "This is ridiculous." She pulled Katie into a fireman's carry and took her to the makeshift firing range that had been set up just outside the Academy walls.

"Acolytes, open fire!"

The sound of automatic weapons fire sent a burst of adrenaline through Katie that brought her up to her feet and then crashing back down from a lack of blood to the brain.

"Cease fire!"

The final shots echoed into the distance as Kerrigan shook her head, "Alright, I'm calling it for today. Miss Katie here is completely out and she needs someone to take her to bathhouse, can you girls take her for me?"

The three nodded, "Except you Louise, we need to have a word with the Headmaster regarding the earlier events with the Romalian."

She visibly scowled before nodding, "Lead on Sarah."

* * *

Kerrigan looked to Agnes as they walked into Osmond's office on the top of the central tower, to find a cloaked figure looking out into the distance, and no one but Julio in the room.

"I'm surprised you are out and about Your Majesty," Kerrigan bowed respectfully as Louise kneeled in reverence as Queen Henrietta removed the hood of her cloak and smiled towards the Ghosts.

Louise, please none of this kneeling business while we're in private. I still like to consider us childhood friends," Henrietta took Louise's hands in her own and pulled her off the ground. She turned to Kerrigan and bowed her head shamefully, "I didn't get a chance to formally thank and apologize to you Sarah."

Kerrigan shook her head, "It's unnecessary Your Majesty-."

"It is Sarah! I failed to listen to you about the Coronation, and I was blinded by my feelings for Wales and sided with him against you." She sniffled, "I tried to kill you Sarah."

Kerrigan put her hands on Henrietta's shoulders, causing the monarch to pause as she saw a genuine smile come across the former's face, "You are sort of like that romantically obsessed little sister I never had, you know that right?"

Henrietta involuntarily snorted as she began to laugh, not a petite, regal laugh, but a deep, free laugh, causing Louise to join in quietly.

"You really are the only people I can trust."

Kerrigan nodded somberly, "You have as many enemies at home as you do in Albion." A look of shock came across both Tristainian nobles' faces as she continued, "So much so, that you've called the Church to help yes?"

Henrietta nodded, "The Pope wants to end the war quickly and have a proper monarch placed onto the throne."

"Fair enough," Kerrigan dropped it; she knew she wasn't going to get much else out of her at this point. "We have begun training a fourth Ghost from the Academy, and as far as I can tell war preparations are behind schedule but progressing in Tarbes."

She nodded, "As I was saying, you three are the only ones I can trust. I believe there are some in the Royal Court who wish me removed from power."

"You would have us find them?"

Henrietta nodded, "Yes, alive if possible."

"I suppose we can do that, but we'll plan that out later. It's good to see that you're alright in any case Your Majesty."

"Likewise Sarah."

Kerrigan turned to Julio, "So about that bath. . ."

Julio involuntarily swallowed, hard.

* * *

**Albion-Londinium**

"Lady Sheffield I presume?"

Sheffield, also known as Myozunitonirun or Mind of God sat comfortably in her throne room in Albion's capital as a stranger appeared before her.

"And who would you be?"

The individual in a skin tight white suit which left little to the imagination walked into the sunlight with a dark smile on his face, "A friend."

* * *

**A/N: And that is the only double whammy release you'll get this season. So be grateful!**

**Anyhow, I'll be starting my job sooner then expected, so my last real day to post regularly will be the 30th. 40 hour work week with a three hour commute one day is not something one simply gets used to.**

**OUT!**


	7. A Royal Visit Part 1

**A/N: To say the plot is getting thick is putting it MILDLY. It's thicker then frozen molasses and it's only getting colder. Before we continue with this madness, review time, but you knew that already. Time for Part One of the Royal Visit!  
**

**Sacchin: Kerrigan will unleash Hell. On the enemy. On the corrupt nobles. On her Acolytes by shooting at their feet. On Julio in a surprisingly depraved manner.**

**Lord Arthas: The reason Tabitha wasn't selected as a Ghost candidate was her Gallian citizenship and affiliation. That and Kerrigan would trust Valerian Mensgk more than Tabitha. She knows better than that.**

**ExodiaGeass: You do raise valid points, and many questions will be answered throughout this season and if I do go through with a third season, more after that. The plot will be somewhat turned onto its head soon enough however.**

**FoldGuy: I am already going to say no to foreigners being in the Tristain Ghost Corps, at least for the foreseeable future. There will be a far greater number of Acolytes added soon however. Oh, Julio and Vittorio, what a bunch of apes.**

**Mega1987: Muahahahah! But wait, Duran can't be in two places at once…**

**Or can he?**

**(Oh, and PS: Stand by for a little debauchery.)**

* * *

**Albion-Londinium**

"A friend you say? What makes the two of us friends?"

The man shrugged as he put up one finger, "Just one thing, we have a common enemy. You want Tristain, we want someone from Tristain."

Sheffield's immense intellect went into overdrive as she tried to connect the dots between this new character and her proxy war with Tristain. Only one possibility made sense to her, "Kerrigan."

The man's smile widened, "Only seven seconds. You do live up to your reputation, Myozunitonirun."

Her eyes widened as she threw up the ring of Andvari to take control of the guest, only to find that the magic ring had no effect on him whatsoever.

"Your little trinket not working Lady Sheffield?"

She was stunned into silence; it didn't make sense to her. No one could resist the effect of the Ring of Andvari for very long.

"The Ring of Andvari. It's a powerful artifact alright, but it won't work on a Psionic who has mastered their mind such as me. It also wouldn't work on Kerrigan or most Ghosts for that matter." He cracked his neck, before setting his eyes back onto Sheffield, "Do you wish to continue this Sheffield? Or should I just wipe your mind and use you as a puppet for our own purposes?"

Her expression turned into a snarl that could put a Zergling onto its hind legs, "Fine, what do you want?"

"Let my people come to Albion, and wait for Kerrigan to come to us. With God as my witness, I will crush the Queen of Blades. Once and for all."

* * *

**Tristain – Bathhouse**

**A/N: Admit it, you wanted to see this happen!**

Kerrigan was enjoying the fruits of her successful duel with Julio Chesare as she lay soaking in a pre-prepared hot tub, with Julio gently massaging her naked shoulders.

She glanced at Julio with a dirty smirk, "Wow, you're pretty good with your hands for a pretty boy. Tell me, what other talents are you hiding from me?"

Much to her amusement, Queen Henrietta, Agnes, and Louise all looked in awe (and complete disbelief) as the typically stoic Queen of Blades flirted with Julio constantly. He was starting to be worn down, and signs of arousal were beginning to be show across his body.

Agnes closed her eyes and gently shook her head, "Poor guy, Kerrigan is just eating all this up isn't she?"

Henrietta facepalmed at Kerrigan's obvious antics, "Can hardly wait to turn the page."

Louise on the other hand was fuming, but knew she could do nothing to stop Kerrigan's personal escapades, after all, a deal was a deal.

"Hey, Your Majesty!" The three turned back to face Kerrigan, "Want to head out to Tarbes tomorrow with your mother and see how the town has rebuilt?"

"Yes, fine, just please stop tormenting the official from the Church!"

"Fantastic!" Kerrigan stood up, so fast in fact that Julio went face first into her nude rump, she giggled innocently and turned her head to face him, "Now now Julio, I said you could wash me, not ravish me. Ciao!" She gave a wiggle of her fingers, put her towel around her now sparkling body and walked towards the locker room as the three women simply gawked, unable to comprehend what just happened. Julio began to shed light tears as she left, a bounce to her step (and her chest).

Louise put it best, "Cardinal Mazarin is going to be so pissed."

* * *

Cardinal Mazzarin hands were in his face as Queen Henrietta told him and her mother Marianne of what had transpired at the Academy, with both Julio's defeat in the duel and his resulting punishment.

"With all respect intended Your Majesty, how could you let a Church official, a priest of all people to take such a bet?!"

"I was not there when the bet was made; in fact, Sir Chesare accepted the bargain without question when he challenged her to a spar with wooden blades."

He wiped his face with a handkerchief, "How badly did Sir Chesare lose?"

Agnes stepped forward, "Kerrigan completely annihilated him in the spar Your Excellency. Kerrigan held back all of her Psionic powers and didn't even activate her familiar powers. He never landed a blow, and Kerrigan only hit once, with an open palm strike to the back of his upper right shoulder. The impact sent him flying and into the ground. He managed to get up but collapsed moments later as he began to cough up blood."

"His injuries?"

"Non-life threatening, a few heavy bruises across his shoulder blade, along with 5 bruised ribs and one small fracture in his collarbone. He'll back to normal in a few days."

"One thing you should note Mazzarin," Henrietta interjected, "Sarah seemed to know exactly who he was, and why he was there. She may have been trying to prove a point to the young Knight."

Agnes put a hand to her chin, "Almost like he knows more then he's telling us."

Marianne put up a hand in a 'stop' gesture, "We can guess on this all day long, but understanding what goes through Lady Kerrigan's mind is at best maddening. I am open to the trip to Tarbes, I would like to see what the new Lord has done with the small town."

Mazzarin nodded, "As would I, I'd like to keep myself from being surprised anymore." The sense that the Cardinal of Tristain wasn't amused was not lost on any of them.

Agnes kneeled, "We are you sword and shield Your Majesty."

She nodded, "Umbra?"

"Yes Lady Marianne?"

"Set up the trip to Tarbes with the local Lord and with Lady Kerrigan at once."

"Yes Lady Marianne!"

* * *

**Tarbes-Command Center**

Elliot of Tarbes was rushing around, coordinating security and clean-up for the surprise Royal visit coming the next day.

"I want no trash on the streets, you hear me! NONE! I want the perimeter secured, and I want everyone on their best behavior! We only have one shot at this, so make sure you get it right, check it, and then do it all over again until they get here!"

He was pulling his hair out and reached out to Kerrigan to vent, 'Kerrigan, you really know how to drive me up a wall, you know that?'

'Come on Elliot, you knew you were going to get a visit soon enough from the Royal Court. You had to be preparing for this-.'

'Not this soon! I've been focusing on building, not making this place look nice!'

A pause came from Kerrigan, 'Whoops? In any case, the Valkyrie should make for a good transport for the Royal Entourage.'

'Yes, fine it'll be ready by tomorrow morning.' He threw his head into his keyboard, _'When will she learn that I'm only human?!_

* * *

**Academy – Early Morning**

"Ghosts! Atten-HUT!"

The now formally uniformed Tristain Ghost Corps went to ramrod attention in an instant.

"You're mission today is to look pretty and act as Her Majesty's guides and ceremonial bodyguards for this expedition. You will be joined by the Musketeers, and the new Centurion Squad of the Zerg. Centurions, introduce yourselves!"

Eight highly modified Hydralisks uncloaked to the Ghosts' left, causing them to gawk at just how different they looked. Their natural carapace armor seemed to absorb light and emit darkness; they had the second set of humanoid arms and looked to be incredibly smart and powerful. What was most shocking as they started to speak in a slightly distorted human tongue.

"Greetings sisters, I am Xeres, a male Centurion who leads the Centurion Platoon of the Zerg Brood Genesis. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

He bowed his serpentine head as Oculus slithered forward, "I am Oculus, a male Centurion and executive officer for Xeres. I am a high grade scout and long ranged fighter specializing in first strike attacks. Glad to meet you."

Wraith moved forward, "I am Wraith, a female Centurion and infilatration specialist. I enjoy long walks on the beach and spending time with the men on the team in my spare time, along with sneaking up on people. A pleasure."

Kaskrin's large, bulkier form moved up, "Male Centurion Kaskrin present and accounted for, heavy weapons and magic specialist."

Wide eyes looked to Kerrigan as she shrugged, "What? The Zerg evolve and adapt constantly, adding magical attacks and options was completely fair game. Now, if you're done staring," Kerrigan pointed her thumb back to the Valkyrie, "We have to go pick up the Royal Court, along with a few other nobles."

* * *

Mid-Morning

Tristain – Palace

"You ready to go Ann?"

Henrietta turned to her mother Marianne with a smile, "I am Mother."

The pair, along with Umbra, had decided to take a surprise tour of the new facilities at Tarbes. Kerrigan was more than willing to facilitate it, and they were going to be getting a ride from the same Valkyrie that was flown into the Battle of Tarbes just weeks earlier.

"Your Majesty, lookouts have spotted the Valkyrie, it will be here in just a few minutes."

Henrietta nodded, "Thank you Agnes. We'll be right down."

The current and former Queen both walked down the absurdly long stairs from the Royal Residences into the Castle Courtyard, where the frigate was landing. When they reached the Frigate, they found the Tristain Ghost Corps standing at parade rest, white gloves a point of contrast from their dark uniforms.

"Ghosts! ATTEN-HUT!"

Henrietta was stunned to see all four Ghost Acolytes move in perfect unison, pulling their feet together with a resounding *CLACK* and going ramrod straight. As both members of the Royal Family approached, they saw just how well dressed the Ghosts were. All of them wore the signature white mantle of the Tristain Ghost Corps, with its signature red Spectre embellished across the back. The actual uniforms were a matte black, clear cut military dress uniform, with a matching beret.

While all but one of the Ghosts had ribbons, Kerrigan had several, most signifying her wars in the Koprulu Sector. She also had a Captain's bars on her shoulder blades.

"Hello Your Majesty. I hope the Tristain Ghost Corps is to your satisfaction?"

The still wide-eyed Henrietta nodded causing Kerrigan to smile, "Excellent! Ghosts, at ease!" The four relaxed, and immediately kneeled in the presence of the Queen, causing Kerrigan to scowl, "I said at ease, don't go from one salute to another. Now get in the ship!"

As the Royals boarded the ship they were surprised to see the eight Centurions playing another game of of what appeared to be cards. Kerrigan cleared her throat and the team quickly hid the cards then turned to Kerrigan with innocent smile that appeared absolutely terrifying. One innocently began to whistle as they avoided eye contact.

"Will you be flying us today Lady Kerrigan?"

"No, we have dedicated pilots now for the job, so we get to relax and enjoy the ride."

* * *

**Late Morning**

**Tarbes Starbase**

A small red carpet was unfurreled from the Valkyrie as Queen Henrietta stepped off the frigate's cargo bay floor and immediately began to gawk at how much the scenery changed.

"This is Tarbes?"

"No Your Majesty," Lord Elliot of Tarbes appeared, in formal wear with his wife beside him, "This is the Tarbes Starbase, the actual town is still being rebuilt and is that way." Elliot pointed towards the mountain grove where the Temple still stood.

"What is a Starbase?"

"It's a multiple role facility designed to build, maintain and deploy spaceships. Ours is different in that also builds vehicles, trains infantry, hosts a few Zerg hatcheries, and a proving ground to test weapons, armor and practice wartime maneuvers."

Marianne turned to Elliot, "How much space does it take up exactly?"

The entire facility takes up 60 square kilometers at this point, with the Starport and ship-building facilities taking up most of our useable space. We however will be starting our tour here at the Command Center," Elliot motioned towards the domed structure.

"The Command Center is the central hub for a Terran military base, it acts as a resource collection point, command and control headquarters, and can be upgraded to fill a myriad of roles. It carries up to ten manned SCV's that can station within the structure itself. In addition, it can actually lift off and fly to another location in most configurations, all the while carrying it's SCV compliment; allowing a field commander to rapidly build bases in new positions on demand."

Mazzarin's mouth dropped, "Are you saying you can fly your buildings around freely? You could bring them to Albion even?"

"Absolutely, now of course not all structures can fly, but all productions buildings can with ease. Before we continue on with the Command Center demonstration however, I'd like to introduce you to the SCV, or Space Construction Vehicle."

The hovering machine, around 9 feet tall floated over to the group before using it's grapple arm to easily move a large bulky crate, while drilling through a large rock as part of its demonstration.

"The SCV is the worker unit of any Terran army or civilian group, they are strong, with light armor plating and can be sealed for operations in dangerous environments of the vaccumn of space."

He returned the group's attention to the previous topic, "The Command Center you see here is an Orbital Command Center, a variant designed to provide better information and access to additional capabilities, such as the ability to deploy satellites, scan hostile territory for intelligence. We have add-on structures available if a Command Center needs to be upgraded further. Even a nuclear silo can be added with little difficulty."

Henrietta nodded, "Shall we continue?"

Elliot bowed, "Of course Your Majesty." The group got into a squad of Hellions designed to carry people, rather than a single crazed pyromaniac.

"What is this machine?!"

"A Hellion Your Majesty! A fast attack vehicle designed to raid enemy infantry and attack using a flame thrower. These are Hellions designed to carry people instead."

"And the noise?"

"Combustion engines Your Majesty, we are the first to use it and it's the most efficient form of locomotion available at the moment."

Julio crossed his arms, "Lord Elliot, are you aware the use of engines is grounds for a Heresy Inquiry?"

Numerous eyebrows were raised as he casually shrugged, "I'm a soldier fighting for my country Sir Chesare, not one serving the Church. Besides, I never actually converted to Founderism, so a Heresy Inquiry becomes far more complicated to perform."

A look of shock came across the Romalian's face, "Do you believe in any religion?"

"Religion was actively discouraged, often with violence, threats, and even murder in the Confederacy. If you had a religious affiliation you painted a target on your back Sir Chesare."

Julio let it go as the group continued to drive towards the Factory Quarter

The Hellions came to a pause as a set of blinking lights, earning confusion from all present, "What's going on Lord Elliot?"

He turned back to the VIP's, "We have to wait for the transports to pass by, if we didn't have designated paths for them along with these checkpoints to keep people from crossing over we'd have a lot of accidents."

At that very moment an Ultralisk came past, dragging a trailer full of freshly smelted ingots, earning a huge gawk from Marianne and Julio, who had that moment dropped his jaw onto his lap. Kerrigan could swear she saw the Ultralisk grin and kept on going, pulling the trailer along.

Julio swallowed before speaking, "What in the name of the Founder was that thing?!"

Henrietta, Elliot, Louise and Kerrigan all turned and said, "Ultralisk." The four looked at each other and shrugged as the convoy continued to move though the busy Starbase.

"This," Elliot began to speak, "Is the Terran Barracks, this is where all of the Terran infantry you have seen today are trained and keep their personal quarters at. There are numerous types of infantry available, but we have a few different types to show you today. First, the Marine!"

A fully suited up Marine walked out onto the small parade ground in front of the VIP's and kneeled respectfully, before returning to his feet, weapon in hand.

"The Marine is the backbone of the Terran Infantry Corps, heavy, yet agile, these troops use fully automatic C-14 'Impaler' series Gauss Rifles to tear apart infantry and light aircraft. You may wish to cover your ears."

The demonstrator turned to a pair of targets that came up out of the ground and opened fire with his rifle, tearing the plastic targets into small chunks.

"The suit also boosts the users own strength considerably."

A two inch thick steel plate shot out of the ground and had an armored fist driven through it, with seemingly little effort, causing the present guests who were unfamiliar with the damage to become shocked at the simulated carnage.

Julio stood up, "Is there any way to punch through that armor?"

"The muskets of Halkeginia can rarely punch through the armor you see here, even in its lighter forms; there is simply not enough muzzle energy and velocity to do so. Zerg attacks and other Terran weapons are more adept at this however. Magic is a bit more reliable damage-wise, but varies on the mage and element used."

He sat down as Elliot continued, "Next, we have the Firebat. An anti-infantry and structure specialist, the Firebat uses dual plasma-throwers built into the arms to literally cook the enemy into submission." On cue the Firebat faced the crowd, raised his arms to the sides, and shot superheated plasma from his Perditions into multiple targets, incinerating them instantly.

The group could feel the extraordinary heat from the weapons, and some could smell the stench of burning hair in the air.

"There is a specialized version of the Firebat, called a Marauder which instead of flame units uses high velocity grenades and rockets to devastate armored targets." Elliot looked to the group to see people still sweating from the Firebat's incendiary display.

"Perhaps we should move on then?" Several nervous nods passed through the group as the Hellions continued their way towards the Factory District.

As the group approached they realized just how large the factories were, some the size of small castles in scope, causing Henrietta to turn to Elliot, "Lord Elliot, can these fly as well?!"

He smiled and nodded, "All production structures have flight capability your Majesty. In addition, all production structures have various add-on structures available to aid in unit maintenance and construction."

A Vulture came out, ridden by a Marine, "This is Vulture Hoverbike, it is the fast attack and reconnaissance vehicle of choice for Terran forces. It was recently retired from active service in the Koprulu Sector, but it remains in use here and in other select locales."

A medium sized walker approached the group, "This, is the Goliath walker, a purpose built multi-role combat system. Wields up to 3 auto-cannons for targeting ground troops and high speed missiles to target air units. Begin demonstration!"

The group covered their ears as the Goliath turned to face a set of half a dozen targets, "ACKNOWLEDGED TACCOM!"

The Goliath opened fire, the auto-cannons thundering report blasting across the proving ground, shredding the targets in a hail of high explosive fire. A set of four airborne drones were engaged simultaneously by the Goliath's Charon-class missiles, destroying them instantly.

"MISSION ACCOMPLISHED TACCOM!"

The Hammerhead demonstration went by without any fanfare, although the guests were shocked to see it float around with little difficult; a few questions appeared imminent to Elliot.

Agnes raised her hand, "Lord Elliot, do you have any artillery pieces available?"

He couldn't help but grin, "We have one, and a monster."

Kerrigan's eyes widened and she began to chuckle, earning the attention of the rest of the visitors. She smirked, "You'll love the 'Monster.'"

The infamous Siege Tank rolled onto the field, earning a brief applause from Kerrigan before she quickly stopped and let Elliot speak.

"Thank you for the . . . enthusiasm Kerrigan." She stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to roll his eyes, "Anyhow, this is the Crucio Siege Tank, both attack vehicle and mobile artillery piece. Everyone, please put your helmets, eye protection, and ear protection on and continue wearing them until I tell you otherwise. The group slowly got their protection on as the tank began to advance and hold position on a marked piece of ground. With a quick snap of Elliot's wrist, the Crucio's mobile guns fired, blasting holes in a pre-made concrete structure, taking it off the foundation.

After it paused, the group seemed confused until they saw the tank turn around, and plant what appeared to them as giant feet onto the ground and lift its considerable hulk off the ground; the giant Arclite cannon emerging from the turret. The Siege Tank's signature weapon turned, aimed, and fired in a massive thunderclap, sending a shell into a formation of simulated infantry, simply blowing them apart.

Massive applause came from the stunned audience, getting a grin out of Elliot, 'The Crucio always did impress whoever saw it, but this other thing . . . they may just piss their pants.'

"Much thanks to the crew of the tank, for my final act before lunch today however I shall give you what some have referred to as, 'The Monster.' We have an actual name, meet the THOR!"

A dropship came towards the proving ground with a giant black block on the bottom, clearly slowing it down. Once it reached a point around 100 yards distant the block detatched from the ship, and began to transform in mid-air. For the group it seemed that the term monster was most appropriate.

*WHAM!*

The shockwave from the Thor Siege Walker landing nearly knocked Elliot off his feet, and even brought the Hellions off the ground briefly as the huge mech began walking towards the group.

"THOR IS HERE!"

Kerrigan shaped her hands like a loudspeaker over her mouth, "WE NOTICED!"

Immediately the Thor began to open fire on the targets that had popped up, from ground targets being nailed by the particle accelerators, to the air targets being vaporized by Javelins launched from the mech's torso.

"TIME TO DROP THE HAMMER!"

Eyes widened as four enormous cannons extended from the mech's back and pointed at a single, defunct Supply Depot, and fired, obliterating the structure sending fragments whizzing around the group.

"LATER GUYS!" The Thor walked off towards the vehicle bay and left the VIP's shocked and speechless.

Except for Kerrigan, "SUH-WEET!"

* * *

**A/N: Part 1 of the Royal Visit! See you all soon, as I am heading out of town. I promise to write!**


	8. A Royal Visit Part 2

**A/N: Time for Part Two of the Royal Visit! After these numerous reviews!**

**Foldguy: You do bring up a valid point with MonMon; I might just reconsider her recruitment. That and seeing Guiche running like a complete pussy sounds actually quite amusing to think and write about. Well played good sir! Oh Mr. Pope, you are NOT prepared.**

**Lord Arthas: I'm most familiar with the SC2 Siege Tank, so we'll go with that one; but I'm glad you liked the Goliath bit. =)**

**Celestia's Paladin: Their meeting will be downright hilarious I think =)**

**Shadowsong: ITS ABOUT TO GET HEAVY!**

**DaLintyMan: It is, to put it mildly, hilarious. MOAR UNITS!**

**Sacchin: Oh Julio, seems to be a ladies' man but can't handle the truth. Or Kerrigan for that matter.**

**Who can handle Kerrigan anyways?**

**Zaralann: Always a pleasure =)**

**I'm going to answer some of my critics from the First Season right here:**

**I wanted to have fun with my story and Kerrigan's progression. I honestly didn't plan a thing with it. I came up with it as I went. If I had actually planned it out, I may have been able to please the canon hounds out there. I'm writing this, because I ENJOY it. I do this to satisfy my own creative needs, rather than that of the readers. I love my readers, don't get me wrong, but if you expect me to follow canon, religiously anyhow, you really need to write your own story to do so.**

**That's the beauty of Fanfics; you can take the story in just about any direction you want to suit your own needs. I admit, I would focus on a more CANON character development if it were a single Fanfic, rather than an X-over that my stories are. That being said, I want to balance out both sides canon to make them fit better together.**

**Polite rant complete, story time!**

* * *

**Starbase – Guest Quarters**

Henrietta and Marianne both sat at the front of the table as the VIP's were treated to a high quality lunch before continuing their tour of the facility.

"Your Majesty, if I may ask, how do you feel about the Starbase so far?"

"I honestly have never seen anything like it, and we're not even half way done yet?"

Elliot nodded, "Correct Your Majesty, we still haven't visited the Shipyards, the Zerg Quarter, the new Ghost Academy, or the missile field."

She nodded and continued with her meal; Elliot excused himself and saw Karin and Sarah talking a little farther down the table.

"Duchess, Kerrigan, how is the presentation so far?"

Duchess Valliere nodded, "It's quite well Count Tarbes, an impressive feat, building it in such a short time with so few people."

He bowed politely, "Your praise means a lot Duchess."

Kerrigan grinned, "What, no hello for me Elliot?"

He scowled at her, "I'm still pissed at you for doing this to me on such short notice."

Karin let out a quiet snort, before Kerrigan laughed, "Tough luck Elliot!"

He rolled his eyes and walked off, just as the Queen had finished eating he clapped to earn the guests' attention, "May I have your attention please?" Eyes all set onto Elliot as he cleared his throat to begin, "We have a special event today, could the De Verdun family please step forward."

Two adults, the Count and Countess of Verdun both appeared with their uniformed daughter Katie, Elliot smiled as Kerrigan appeared by the Queen's side and began to speak, "Acolyte Katie de Verdun approach." Katie began to approach with her parents in tow, their feet moving together in one movement.

Fifteen paces later, all three knelt respectfully in front of Henrietta and Kerrigan, as the former began to speak, "Lady Katie de Verdun, by enlisting in the Tristain Ghost Corps, you have received the right to wear the mantle of Dame within the Royal State of Tristain."

Kerrigan took over, "Do you swear loyalty Lady Katie de Verdun, to the Queen and to the Royal Family?"

The nervous Katie responded, "I swear."

"Do you swear Lady Katie de Verdun, to uphold the standards, ethics, and responsibilities that the title of Dame entails with all that you can muster?"

"I swear"

"Finally, do you swear Lady Katie de Verdun that you are willing and able to fight for the Queen in times of both strife and calm? To fight by her side, and if duty should demand it, give your life in service to the Queen?"

"I swear."

Henrietta stepped forward, and tapping a ceremonial sword on each of Katie's shoulders "By the power vested in me as the Queen of Tristain and descendant of the Founder Brimir, I hereby grant the title of Dame to Lady Katie de Verdun, along with all of the responsibilities and privileges entailed. Congratulations Dame Verdun."

Applause rang through the hall as she rose from the ground and shook Kerrigan's hand. As the applause died down, Kerrigan smiled, "It's time for your first decoration Acolyte." Umbra came up to Kerrigan and opened a small case, contained inside were two gold pins, each with a shield and a phoenix placed together. She snapped the pins into place on the collar of Katie's uniform, causing the other Acolytes to begin to applaud, starting the celebration anew.

As her fellow sisters-in-arms welcomed her, Kerrigan went up to the Count and Countess of Verdun and introduced herself, "I am Sarah Kerrigan, it's a pleasure to meet the both of you."

The Countess nodded, and the Count gave Kerrigan a kiss on the knuckles, "I am grateful for the chance you've given our daughter."

"She's made a difficult decision, her missions won't be easy, the dangers are everywhere, but she can retire from active duty in around a decade with full benefits and then teach at the Ghost Academy. The only limit is what she sets for herself now."

Countess Verdun smiled with small tears in her eyes, "I'm just so proud of my little girl, she's finally growing up and becoming a woman."

The Count chuckled deeply, "Don't remind me dear."

The three continued to socialize until lunch had been cleared from the hall, followed by Elliot recalling them to the Hellions.

"Now then, lets continue with the tour, shall we?"

The Hellions began to drive through another section of the base, lined with Supply Depots, along with the occasional Overlord. The vehicles slowed down and reached what appeared to be a large mineshaft.

"What is this place Lord Elliot?"

"This, Your Majesty, is the Tarbes Mines; we dig up all the metals and materials we need for this base to run from deep underground."

Duke Valliere, an accomplished Earth Mage stood up, "How do you prevent groundwater contamination like we have with our major mining towns?"

"Careful micro-management when it comes to construction, plus the use of Zerg drones to mine, they actually eat the ore and deliver it to an automated lift that brings it to the surface."

Henrietta turned to Elliot, "How far have you mined down so far?"

"Approximately three miles down to date Your Majesty. The Zerg have a natural resistance to fire and heat, which makes them perfect for extremely deep mining operations. Humans aren't even allowed to go down past a mile and a half due to safety concerns, everything past that point is Zerg only. Each shaft is run by a dedicated Erebus, with a Drone Foreman in each tunnel to coordinate mining efforts."

The group was stunned, Count Verdun stood up, "That's remarkable, our deepest mines go to half a mile at the most, it simply becomes too impractical to bring ore up at any deeper of a depth."

Elliot nodded, "There's your problem right there, the lower you go, the more exotic elements you tend to find."

Julio cocked his head, "There's only Four Elements in Magic, plus the lost magic branch of Void. What are you saying Lord Tarbes?"

"There are five branches of magic, I'm not debating that. The word element is used to describe the most basic a form of matter can become. In the Koprulu Sector, there are 125* elements in total. The vast majority is found naturally, but many have to be created artificially."

Julio sat down, his question answered as Elliot continued, "The problem with mining shallow is that unless there's a large cave system or significant deposits of ore they are not very lucrative. When you go as deep as we go and be as focused as we have been, you find metals in remarkable quantity. Things like Iridium, Uranium, Tungsten, along with high quality gemstones and other ores have made our mining so worthwhile we see no reason to stop any time soon. If anything, we're having trouble processing it all to keep up with what we're bringing out of the mines. The only issues we've been having as of late are the creatures we're facing down there."

Incredulous looks dotted the VIP's as Countess Verdun raised her hand, "As a fire mage I can tell you that there are no creatures that live down that far, nothing can survive at those depths."

"Then you best add a few new monstrosities to the Magical Bestiary, there have been several, shockingly powerful creatures discovered. Given their demonic appearance," faces paled across the group, "And natural affinity for fire, we have temporarily codenamed them Abyssal Demons."

Mazarin choked back a cry, a sound that was not lost on Kerrigan as she spoke to him mentally, 'Mazarin, we need to speak privately after this. Nod twice if you understand.' He nodded twice, 'Good to hear it.'

As the shock passed the Queen turned one last time to Elliot, "I'll see what I can do about getting you additional blacksmiths and artisans."

Julio crossed his arms, "The Church will likely send demon hunters to fight these Abyssals; could that be arranged?"

Kerrigan chuckled, "If they can survive the immense heat of the mines, they are welcome to try, but if they die down there, we won't be pulling any bodies out. Each fight is a brutal bloodbath to the bitter end, for both Zerg and the Abyssals."

Nervous moment passed through before Elliot bowed, "Shall we continue?" Nods answered him as the Hellions took off toward the next stop on their adventure.

The group passed several foundries working round the clock, being managed by several Erebi and some blacksmiths, but mostly running automatically with little to no manual intervention.

"How are the foundries running without people to work them?"

"They are actually completely automated, meaning they don't need people to work them, except for a few key steps. Those are where we need people the most, are posts like observation, quality control, and the loading of ore."

The Hellions began to move once more and soon the group found them stopped in front of a large, circular building. Only Kerrigan and Elliot knew what they were looking at however.

"Welcome to the future site of the Tristain Ghost Corps Academy and Headquarters."

Louise's mouth widened slightly, "This, is going to be the Ghost Academy?"

Kerrigan smiled and nodded, "This is where your proper training will be completed, along with the rest of the Ghost Corps once they are recruited. Let's step inside everyone!"

The VIP's all walked inside and were awestruck at just how large it was. The Tristain Ghost Academy was a structure custom built to both Kerrigan's and Elliot's specification. It was twice as large as the typical field Academy most Commanders used in the field, and still maintained its trademark circular shape, the nuclear silo removed. It was five stories built with classrooms, simulators, armories, dormitories, and guest quarters.

"This building was custom designed by yours truly to act as a central place for the members of the Tristain Ghost Corps to live, grow, and train in from the moment they enter training to the moment they retire from the service in its entirety."

"What's the capacity?"

"It is currently configured for 300 Ghosts as well as the weapons, supplies, and various other support systems needed to keep them operational. Maximum capacity would be near 2,000, but then it'll start getting packed in here."

"What sort of training aids do Ghosts have?"

"We have machines called simulators which allow Ghosts to enter into a fictional combat scenario, change its parameters, including difficulty, faction of enemy fought among other variables to create infinitely unique combat situations. The use of simulators isn't mandatory, but encouraged. One that is mandatory for all Ghosts however is Scenario A11-X93, or as it was referred to back home, 'Nukes Away.'"

"'Nukes away?'"

"A training simulation specifically designed to train Ghosts in the delivery of nuclear weapons, either by target painter or beacon. I will be entering the simulator with Kerrigan to demonstrate Scenario A11-X93 to you all in just a few minutes, if you'd like to make your way to the control room you can watch as the two of us complete the Scenario."

* * *

**A/N: * I used 125 Elements, as 117 have been discovered in some form to date. I assumed that after another 500 years we would find at least 8 more.**

* * *

"So, you ready Sarah?"

Kerrigan turned to Elliot with a grin, "Been too long since I guided in a nuclear strike, looking forward to the simulation."

Both had donned special reactive suits designed to allow the simulator to directly interface with the human neurological system to allow for a complete and total immersion experience. Thankfully for the trainees there were safety systems hard-wired into the simulators. Said safeties were irremovable without Kerrigan's direct intervention, and while Kerrigan could manage without the safeties, she saw no reason to show off any more than necessary. Especially since she couldn't fight at her fullest potential, lest she blast the machine sky high.

The pair walked to the simulation chambers, placed the special VR helmet onto their heads and sealed it as a special reactive gel began to fill the pods they now stood inside of.

Up in the control room, the Royal Entourage and Acolytes watched as the pair of Ghosts were swallowed up in the blue gelatinous substance with awe and confusion. Umbra noticed the confusion and began to explain, "The gelatin you see that fills the pods allows a fully immersive experience within the simulator, and it also boosts the functionality of the nerve suits they are wearing. Furthermore, those helmets they wear link directly to their nervous system and give them the air supply they need to breathe."

Karin turned to Umbra, "How realistic is this simulator?"

"Extremely realistic, some scenarios are so life-like, it's impossible to differentiate between reality and the simulator." Looks of shock dotted the group as Umbra made the Erebi equivalent of clearing its throat, "In early simulators, people could actually die from injuries incurred within the sim. Thankfully Mistress Kerrigan ordered hard-wired safeties put in to limit casualties or injuries within the simulation itself."

The Umbra took a moment for the group to comprehend everything, "Still, it's possible to get bone fractures, moderate burns, minor organ damage and heavy bruising from injuries within any given simulation, nothing our medicine here can't fix. In any case, only Kerrigan can disable the safeties, if they are tampered with in any way the simulator will shut itself down to prevent any misuse."

"Can non-Ghosts use the simulators?"

Umbra shook its tentacles in a nugatory motion, "Not yet, we are still gathering more data on magic and other forms of combat to apply them to training other military forces. Most Terran weapons and vehicles can be already trained on these simulators however, from standard Marine armor to the Thor Siege Walker. Once we have enough available, we can move troops through the Marine and other infantry training programs quickly."

A chime interrupted the group, as Kerrigan's face appeared on a monitor along with Elliot's, "_We're ready for our simulation Your Majesty, choose any settings you wish."_

Henrietta glanced at the panel and frowned, "What are these buttons even mean Kerrigan? 'Protoss,' 'Zerg,' 'Hard-."

"Hard, Protoss, Mar Sara."

The Adjutant beeped, "_Acknowledged Commander, activating Mar Sara Simulation."_

In an instant, a view screen popped up, scaring the observers, which flashed a brown, dusty world into existence, stunning them into silence.

"Umbra, what is that?"

"This Your Majesty is a simulator take on the planet of Mar Sara, a frontier world where the Zerg and humans had their first major official contact, starting the Great War of 2499."

Julio seemed awestruck, "It looks to be so, lifeless."

"Mar Sara was always a dusty, harsh world to live on, let alone prosper on. It was however rich in natural resources, causing countless prospectors and mining groups to flock to her and her sister world Chau Sara."

Julio continued to dig, "Chau Sara?"

"A twin world to Mar Sara, she was the actual First Contact for all three major races, the Zerg, Terran Confederacy, and Protoss Hierarchy. It was burned into a lifeless molten ball of lava and glass by the Protoss after the Zerg established a foothold on the planet and began to infest the population in droves. There were no survivors, although the planet was resettled sometime later."

Silence swallowed the room as silent prayers were muttered for the dead, "How many died Umbra?"

"No one exactly knows Sir Chesare, but the estimate is approximately 400,000 to 750,000 human casualties, and well over 20,000,000 million Zerg losses."

Julio had to hold himself steady as the sheer volume of dead slammed into his psyche, most Halkeginian wars had at most, 15,000 dead. The combat on Chau Sara had claimed over 400,000 dead in just a few months. More had died in that battle then had died in Halkeginian wars over the past millennia.

"_I don't mean to interrupt the history lesson folks, but we're ready to go Adjutant, begin simulation."_

"_Acknowledged Commander, entering mission parameters; your primary objective is to infiltrate, and designate a 1 megaton nuclear strike on the Protoss base's main Nexus. Secondary objective is to capture intelligence in a nearby military facility that has been previously evacuated. Begin operation!"_

The faces of both Ghosts were replaced with their own first person viewpoint, showing a highly computerized HUD, which while familiar to the experienced Acolytes was complete gibberish to the uninitiated.

"_Well let's get going Elliot!"_

In an instant the pair jumped onto a Vulture and raced for the Protoss base.

* * *

The group watched with fascination as the Protoss units actually shifted to counter the two Ghosts as they moved to attack.

"These are Protoss?"

"Correct Your Majesty, they are one of the major races in the Koprulu Sector and have been at war with the Zerg since we first met."

This question and answer session went on for some time until the Adjutant interrupted them all.

*DING*

_"Nuclear Launch Detected!"_

Umbra turned back to the screen, "The beauty of orbital warheads is that the Ghost doesn't have to stick around for the blast, once the point is designated the coordinates are locked in place. Tactical weapons still have to be manually guided in however."

The VIP's saw both Ghosts running for the hills, the same hills containing the hidden intelligence cache that had been designated by the Adjutant, all the while dodging withering fire from the counter-attacking Protoss defenders.

Towering four-legged walkers shot lances of superheated energy at the Ghosts, fooled only by Kerrigan's Mirages.

"_Time to impact, fifteen seconds."_

The group looked at one another in anticipation as the countdown commenced:

"_5."_

"_4."_

"_3."_

"_2."_

"_1."_

"_Impact."_

The starship launched warhead detonated a thousand feet above the surface, in an airburst.

A blinding light went across the room briefly before the massive shockwave and radiation pulse crushed, then incinerated the base's central hub in nearly an instant. Energy shields flared briefly before winking out, allowing the structures beneath to be crushed into dust and scrap metal. The Ghosts, now hidden behind a mountain dove into a small ravine to escape the now supersonic shockwave, which blew over them, ripping cacti and wildlife from the surface, flash-frying both in an instant.

Moments later the shockwave retreated back to Ground Zero, completing the total demolition of the Protoss base and any unfortunate enough to be alive within. The VIP's were stunned by the absolute carnage one warhead had done to the base and surrounding countryside. The base proper was now a molten crater, filled with cooling glass and molten rock. The area just outside the fireball was flattened, the small hills and dunes surrounding the base were wiped clean from existence, and massive wildfires were spreading near the edge of the blast radius.

A winded Kerrigan came through the audio connection, "_Adjutant, terminate simulation."_

"_Acknowledged Commander, score for Scenario A11-X93, Modifiers Protoss, Hard Difficulty, and Mar Sara is at 85 over 100, a passing grade. Releasing you from simulator now."_

The pair helped each other to the locker room as the VIP's waited in the control room, Louise seemed a bit confused, "Why is Kerrigan so exhausted like that Umbra?"

The named Erebus turned to the pinkette, "In order to interface with the sim, she has to drastically cut her power output to a small fraction to prevent damage to the machine. This cut power lessened her physical strength and endurance, the sudden change was difficult to adjust to."

The group came out, a quick shower and back into their original clothes, the pair looked exhausted, but satisfied with the result of the simulation.

"Now you Acolytes understand the kind of missions you'll be undertaking, in all likelihood you'll never face the Protoss, or another Terran force, but this simulator is to prepare for that eventuality." The four Acolytes nodded nervously as Kerrigan turned to the VIP's, "Shall we continue Your Majesty?"

* * *

The group left the Academy in silence, all stewing over what Umbra had said and what they witnessed in the simulator.

The Acolytes were actively starting to question their place within the Ghost Corps, and whether they had what it took to not only serve, but to survive the experience.

Julio and Mazarin both had their eyes closed in contemplation, nearly giving silent prayers for the dead the entire time they were in the Academy. Mazarin was terrified at just how powerful Kerrigan was, and in all likelihood she could conquer all the Brimic nations in their entirety. That and the fact she could invade his mind to tell him what to do was almost too much for the aging holy man.

'_Only the Void Mage's power keeps Kerrigan in check, if Miss Valliere were to die-.'_ He shuddered at the thought of just how horrible it could become.

Julio however was shocked at just how little the Pope truly knew about Kerrigan. '_She is without a doubt the greatest threat to the Church since the time of Our Founder. Her military might and expertise is on par with if not greater than the Elves', her Zerg can match any combatant, and she has the weapons to incinerate entire cities from hundreds of miles away.' _The answer for the question of whether the Church should seek peace or confrontation with Kerrigan continued to elude him however.

Marianne, Henrietta, and the other associated nobles were both intimidated, but comforted by the strength that the Terran and Zerg forces brought to Tristain.

The Queen of Tristain smiled slightly, '_We're free from foreign influence and now have the chance to choose our own path, one that will lead to a better life, for all people.'_

The vehicles came to a stop in what appeared to be an open field; the group stepped out and realized that the 'open field' was actually a wide tract of land covered by massive neo-steel doors.

"This ladies and gentlemen, is the missile fields. All our strategic warheads are maintained and launched from this position, all hold varying yields of damage and can be used as deemed necessary. If the Queen would follow me into the bunker, I can explain the firing sequence . . ."

* * *

After receiving the launch key (which Henrietta held close to her, almost like a precious stuffed animal), the group came towards the Zerg Quarter, and for the first time, the humans of Halkeginia saw a Zerg building.

Henrietta gasped, "What . . . what is that thing?!"

"A Zerg Hatchery Your Majesty," Kerrigan answered, pride illustrated through her voice. "It is the heart of every Zerg base, where all the Zerg you have seen are grown." The Quarter's Queen came out to greet the VIP's, causing them to all flinch, some shaking visibly in their seats. "This, ladies and gentlemen is the Zerg Queen. She is a Zerg solely dedicated to the running of the Hatchery, as well as the production of the Zerg that are used in various roles."

"Greetingssss Your Majesssty." The Queen spoke, it's own voice highly distorted from the makeshift vocal chords implanted within her chest cavity.

"It-it-it-it speaks!"

"Sssshe sssspeakssss, Your Majesssty." The Queen callously responded, causing Henrietta to flinch.

Kerrigan narrowed her eyes, "Avarice . . ."

"Aaaand I'm going."

Kerrigan rolled her eyes in annoyance, "The Zerg have become fully sentient, capable of independent, rational thought and the ability to learn. Also, I would be cautious to call certain Zerg, 'it,' from here on out." She cleared her throat and started pointing out structures, particularly the hatcheries.

"Lady Kerrigan, how long does it take for a hatchery to be deployed?"

"Typically a Drone takes around a day to fully morph into a brand new Hatchery. We can rush it however to a few hours in a pinch however, though many parts of the structure will still be forming as work goes on around it. Other structures take far less time however."

Julio looked disgusted as he saw the creep around the vehicle, "What is this filth across the ground?!"

"That, Sir Chesare is called Creep, it is the main food source of the Zerg and allows Zerg structures to be built upon it and remain self-sufficient. It also allows for the buildings to heal themselves, a capability they possess due to their biological nature."

Mazarin turned to Kerrigan, a look of concern on his face, "Where did all the major units you used in the Battle of Tarbes produced?"

She frowned; Kerrigan knew this question would come up eventually, "They are located outside of Halkeginian territory Bishop." It was a complete lie, no one else knew the truth, and she had no intent on letting anyone learn of the Hive Cluster's true location.

"Anywhere specific?"

"Under the Brimic Ocean, to be precise." That was technically accurate, due to the fact that several hatcheries were in fact deployed in underground cave systems, underneath said ocean.

'A clever ploy Mistress.'

'Quiet Erebus.'

"How do the Zerg breathe underwater?"

Kerrigan chuckled lightly, "Simply Bishop, they don't. Zerg can dig incredibly deep, so digging under an ocean isn't that difficult."

The sound of clicking mandibles brought Kerrigan back into reality, as she motioned towards eight shimmering images, which uncloaked, revealing the eight Centurions of the Zerg.

Julio immediately drew his sword and jumped onto the ground, itching for a fight; all the while Mazarin shielded the Queen and Marianne from what he believed to be an imminent attack.

The VIP's were horrified to hear what sounded like laughter coming from one of the Centurions, "Please, your puny blade has no chance against us."

The Centurions speech immediately made Julio take a step back, not at the content of Xeres' comment, but the fact it came out as fluent human speech, rather than the serpent-like hiss the Queen had.

"Behold! The finest of the Zerg Swarm, the Centurion! The perfect hunter, remarkable intellect, memory, and reflexes, matched with unmatched speed, agility, and strength. Invisibility, energy shielding, and the offensive power to push back a division. Now with the ability to cast magic!"

Julio stood up and nearly screamed, "How dare you use the holy magic of the Founder as another of your tools Kerrigan!"

Kerrigan couldn't help but smirk, "Who dares, wins Sir Chesare, and for the record, I like winning." She turned to Kaskrin, "Come out and play Kaskrin!"

Kaskrin came forward and immediately summoned a dancing fire serpent that danced across his body, causing Countess Verdun to gasp, "What rank mage are you?!"

The male Centurion performed the Hydralisk version of a shrug, "Never bothered to figure it out, just wanted to go burn shit down."

"Could you perform a fire attack on that boulder over there?"

The boulder in question was sitting in the way of potential building site for another Supply Depot. Kaskrin turned to Kerrigan, who nodded. Taking a deep breath, he raised both his humanoid hands and scythed limbs and blasted an excruciatingly hot blast of liquid fire and magma into the target, melting through it in nearly an instant, before consuming it in its entirety.

Kerrigan who had only seen a portion of Kaskrin's full magic power suddenly found herself noticing the putrid odor of burnt hair.

The tension was only lifted when Karin began desperately trying to hold back a growing chuckle as Kerrigan began feeling her face, and actually realizing that she lost both eyebrows, causing her to crack up as well.

Countess Verdun however, managed to end the entertaining moment as she sank back into her seat, "Such power, I never thought I would see such a powerful fire user in my life."

Count Verdun began shaking his wife, who quickly snapped out of her stupor, "Alessandra, what happened?"

"This, Kaskrin was it?" The Centurion nodded with a slight dose of pride, "This Kaskrin is at least a Square Fire Mage, in time, and he could possibly reach Hexagon class."

Looks of complete awe came across to Kaskrin, who reverted to his typical imagery, "Oh, I am so sexy."

* * *

As the group moved back onto the road the group couldn't help but stare back at the Zerg structures behind them in the distance. Their focus on what to them seemed to be a freak of nature was turned away as they arrived at the namesake of the Tarbes Starbase, the Starport.

The group watched in awe as the massive facility came into full view, the facility itself, stretching thirty square kilometers was a military base in itself, hosting multiple Engineering Bays, stocked Armories, its own dedicated Command Center, and massive dry docks and shipyards that each measured over a kilometer end to end.

"This ladies and gentlemen, is the center and key to the Tarbes Starbase, the Starport! It hosts its own Command Center, dedicated shipbuilding facilities, fully operational dry docks, and storage areas for completed ships, in addition to both training sites and Barracks for the crews of each aircraft." Kerrigan couldn't help but smile, "Ready for a demonstration everyone?" A few nods answered her as a Banshee came in fast, and hovered over the group, the gyro-rotors blowing jet wash onto the VIP's before moving off to the side.

"Begin demonstration!"

"APOCALYPSE, NOW!"

The normally retracted weapons bays extended into the air and immediately began to belch heavy rockets onto targets that shot up from the ground. The group nervously blinked as the Banshee retracted its main weapon and cloaked, causing a few to gasp at what they thought was a machine performing a Square Class spell. Moments later the newly added 25mm chain gun, now mounted below the cockpit opened up, shredding airborne and ground based targets that appeared to oppose the pilot.

"DONE AND DONE!"

Looks of utter shock continued to dot the faces of the nobles, causing a flash of worry to go through Kerrigan.

The Erebus naturally had to make its own opinion, 'I think you broke the nobles Mistress.'

'Hm, that'd be a real shame wouldn't it?'

'Would make for great television Mistress. Maybe UNN could pick it up-.'

Kerrigan forcefully cut the connection out of annoyance as she clapped her hands, breaking the nobles out of their funk.

A few more demonstrations went on; the Wraith was a relatively easy show, along with the Valkyrie, which was now immortalized for its role in the Battle for Tarbes. The Dropship impressed the military members of the group with just how fast it could pick up and drop off troops.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, the VIKING!"

The hybrid flew towards the group, transforming into walker form and crashing into the ground.

"READY FOR BATTLE!"

Henrietta's eyes widened, '_That voice!'_

"_Prince Wales of Albion!"_

Henrietta immediately flashed back to Prince Wales and immediately broke down, causing the entire group to pause and look at the now sobbing monarch. Kerrigan quickly made a slashing gesture towards the pilot, now realizing the same Viking pilot was flying the demonstrator that shot at Wales during his attempt.

Thankfully the pilot caught Kerrigan's gesture and quickly took off and flew away.

Kerrigan turned to Elliot, 'Why was Ileana flying the demonstrator?'

He visibly flinched, the venom in Kerrigan's thoughts were nothing short of overpowering, 'I wasn't aware the two had that much personal history.'

She swore quietly and went up to the now slowly quieting monarch and embraced her, surprising those around her as Henrietta snuggled up to her, finding comfort in Kerrigan's embrace.

Several minutes past by as she slowly calmed down and went back to normal. Bringing her head back she looked to Kerrigan, eyes still puffy and red she nodded, "L-l-l-let's continue."

Kerrigan smiled, "I think you'll like the next one Your Majesty. I really think you will."

The groups disembarked, walked into the shipyard and were shocked to find a massive capital ship being built in front of their very eyes.

"I present to you, the crown jewel of the Starbase, one of several shipyards. Each shipyard is over a kilometer in length, and as wide as half a kilometer. She can build, refit, and repair any ship in the Terran arsenal, including capital ships."

Karin's jaw dropped, the sheer size of the ship was mind boggling. At twice the size of the Lexington, the capital ship was an impressive sight.

"What class is she Lady Kerrigan?"

Kerrigan smiled, "I thought you'd never ask. I present to you, the Henrietta class battlecruiser." The Queen's eyes went wide as the nobles in the group gasped, turning towards the now visibly humbled monarch as she fell to her knees in awe and near tears.

Kerrigan picked Henrietta up, "Oh, you haven't seen the best part yet, I can't let you miss that!" Smiling, she turned to the dockworker Drones, "Drop the tarp!"

A cleverly placed tarp unfolded, pulling away from the ship, revealing her name to the visitors in both Halkeginian and English:

_H.M.S. The Prince Valiant_

Henrietta's hands clamped to her mouth, as tears started to form. They didn't get the chance to spread as Kerrigan, Louise, and Marianne all embraced the now horribly emotional monarch.

Kerrigan pulled away, cleared the hair from Henrietta's face, "When you face Reconquista, he will be with you Your Majesty."

Henrietta held her hands over her heart in silent prayer.

'_Thank you my love, please continue to fight for me, even in death.'_

* * *

**A/N: I'll admit that ending made me tear up a bit. Might be because I'm such a big Henrietta fan, but I digress.**

**For those who are wondering, it is considered an immeasurable honor to have anything named after you, particularly ship classes and military hardware.**

**Specifications for the Henrietta class coming next episode. I'm finally going to write them out. No more putting it off!**

**Reason I added the chain gun for the Banshee? Frankly, having only rocket pods was like the F-4 Phantom having only missiles, it's great for when it's your battle, but someone comes and mucks it up you're shit out of luck.**

**Anyhow, my schedule for writing is pretty much booked solid, and not by writing, but by 14 hour work days. I literally have an hour to write every day, and Tickld keeps me fairly distracted. So when you'll see a new chapter is anyone's guess at this point.**

**Tally ho!**


	9. Design Specifications

**A/N: A short chapter to bring the stats of the new Battlecruiser! After your reviews!**

**DarkFrodo: All for shits and giggles IMO. I'm just putting out as much content as I possibly can at this point, and after work I have no interest in doing so. So I'm getting a few hundred words at a time now.**

**Sacchin: The Banshee really is a gunship, why it didn't have a nose mounted gun made no sense to me. Alas, it was likely for balance purposes, but it still bugs me down deep.**

**Rydan Fall: Mary Sue? Not too familiar with the expression, but I'll roll with it. I didn't want the Zerg becoming too powerful, along with the rest of Tristain. Balance is a highly important part to this series, and I want to maintain that if possible. New Zerg adaptations are coming soon, so rest assured.**

**Lord Arthas: I'll pass on that one, doesn't fit Henrietta's persona, not to mention it becomes ludicrously difficult to explain a Leviathan on one of the planet's moons. I don't think I could write a good enough explanation for that. I don't think **_**anyone**_** could.**

**Celestia's Paladin: She really is having too much fun, at the expense of all the nobles present. I took a little time to think about the first ship's name, I wanted it to be perfect, but there is a reason for it, as with all of Kerrigan's actions. Or at least most of them anyhow. The Hexagon part was mostly input for dramatics and to give the reader of just how powerful the combination of Psionics and Magic can be.**

**DaLintyMan: I subscribed to Carbot the moment I found it on Youtube. Seriously, cuteness coming your way!**

**Zaralann: Always a pleasure!**

**Mastermind (Guest): Not everyone will die a horrible death, needn't worry about that. Will Raynor ever see Kerrigan again? Do I really need to answer that? =P**

**Kuraby: Thanks =)**

**Foldguy: Lot of firepower and munitions, however most Tristain infantry will continue to use their own weaponry, blades and bows for the most part. All the Musketeers will be wielding gauss weaponry, and some powered armor units. The Royal Army will be fielding most of the Terran munitions, ships, and vehicles, with future Ghosts being assigned to various Royal and Marquis Regiments, along with modified Zerg units. The Tarbeisan Marines will be stationed on all Tristainian ships, from frigates to the new Battlecruisers.**

**To answer the flying mounts question, no, they will not be phased out. Due to the significant number of riders still available, plus traditional use of them in battle, they will remain in service. Besides, there are plenty of Mage Knights left in the Royal and Marquis to be of use.**

**The number of ships that will be built has yet to be decided.**

**BlackholeLord: Glad to see that you've made it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Military Specifications:

Henrietta – Class

Halkeginia Size: Heavy Battleship/Flagship

Koprulu Size: Assault Cruiser/Light Carrier

Dimensions: 50 Meters tall, 110 meters wide, 325 meters long.

Powerplant: Quadruple Tritium Fusion Reactors. Each produces the equivalent of 1.25 terawatts. Dual Deuterium reserve reactors, each produce the equivalent of 250 Gigawatts

Engines: Triple Ion Drives, with Windstone assisted atmospheric flight.

Cruising Speed: Approximately 840kph (Atmospheric)

Maximum Speed: With Ion Drives at full power: 1500kph (Atmospheric)

Minimum Armor Thickness: 3 Meters – Second Generation Bio-Steel

Basic Energy Shielding

Damage Containment Shielding

**Compliment: 3,500-5,000**

Crew: 500 Skeleton, 1,500 Standard (Human and Zerg)

Troops: 2,000-3,500 (Various)

Maximum Capacity: 7,500 combined forces or 12,500 non-combatants

**Vehicle Compliment: 125**

15 Vultures

15 Hellions

25 Siege Tanks

10 Hammerheads

10 SCV's

25 Goliaths

20 APC's

5 Thors

**Ship Compliment: 75**

25 Wraiths

15 Vikings

15 Banshees

20 Dropships

**Weapons Compliment**

40 20mm (Automated) Point Defense Rotary Cannons (Phalanx)

30 30mm Crew-Served Gauss Cannons

20 180mm Crucio Broadside Artillery (10 per side)

8 450mm Bow (Fixed) Bombardment Cannons

5 ECM Projectors

4 25 Kiloton Nuclear Cruise Missiles

1 dedicated Zerg Hatchery

**Extra Notes:**

Non-Warp Capable

Yamato Cannon removed

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to put out the stats for the new ship class, and I didn't want to wait for whenever I managed to complete the chapter. I honestly don't know when I'll be able to release it, given how full my schedule is now.**

**Take care everyone!**


	10. Operation: Purgatory

**A/N: Hail to the Zero Queen continues with another full length chapter! After our customary review answering. Because I am nothing if not predictable.**

**Arthas: They might laugh, but might be intrigued by it as well. Plenty of space for improvements and changes. He will appear when the moment is right. Not going to say when exactly though, sorry :(.**

**ExodiaGeass8910: The ship was designed with atmospheric combat in mind from the first designs to the final touches. It filled a specialty role if anything, with both heavy offensive and defensive weaponry, in addition to its troop, vehicle, and ship compliments. It can still fight in space, and with the reactors at full power, can easily break orbit and head to one of the moons for example. Of course without a warp drive, the ship can't travel at a reasonable speed within the system, let alone into nearby star systems.**

**Alucard: That was the intent when I came up with these specifications; a multirole ship is what the Battlecruiser is supposed to be. In the novels the ships have immense military forces ready for deployment, along with nuclear missiles; while in-game they do not. This class is both a ship for attack and defense, the game Battlecruiser was far too inflexible for my tastes. The removal of the Yamato was a matter of both balance, and practicality. The size of the ship makes such a large, cumbersome weapon difficult to handle, not to mention the power drain is immense. It instead focuses on mobility more than its larger cousins and the forward guns still pack plenty of punch, considering they have a variety of munitions they can throw at a problem.**

**I appreciate you wanting to give this thing a test drive in any case!**

**Celestia's Paladin: Fixed, replaced with the electrical equivalent. :)**

**Now without further adieu, I present HttZQ's second Ghost Ops Mission, Operation PURGATORY! **

* * *

**Tarbes Starbase**

As the nobles began to leave the Starbase via the Valkyrie, Kerrigan was taking a moment to speak with the Bishop of Tristain, in private.

"So, Mazarin," Kerrigan began, gazing at the now visibly nervous holy man, "What exactly are my forces encountering underneath our very feet?"

The white robed Mazarin, took a deep breath, and began to spill the beans, "There are references, in several of the Sealed Scriptures in the Archives, back in Romalia, to creatures called Abyssal Demons. They were encountered by the Founder during his travels across Halkeginia, and were commonplace during the final battles of His life in the Holy Land."

Kerrigan frowned, "So all I have to go on is ancient texts?"

Mazarin's eyes widened, "How much _do_ you know about these creatures Lady Kerrigan?"

"Honestly Bishop? Virtually nothing, I lied to the Queen about our successes against them."

His mouth dropped in shock, "You lied to Her Majesty-?!"

"Enough Bishop!" Mazarin was silenced in an instant as Kerrigan continued, "We've been suffering significant casualties fighting these creatures. We haven't even captured an intact specimen as of yet, I may have to go down there to handle it myself."

"Lady Kerrigan-."

"I am Zerg as well Bishop, I have all the same resistances to heat and the elements that they do. Once you all leave, I'm going to have the Acolytes go back to the Academy, along with the rest of the nobles to their homes. You are going to keep quiet about this until I have more news for Her Majesty, understood?"

The priest nervously nodded, and at Kerrigan's gesture, quickly walked to the Valkyrie alongside her. As Mazarin stepped aboard, Kerrigan stopped at the door, causing the passengers to glance in question as the engines spooled up.

'Sarah?'

Kerrigan turned to see a look of concern on Louise's face, along with that of the other Acolytes, she gave the most genuine smile she could manage, 'I'll be back at the Academy by tomorrow afternoon, I have a few things to handle here with Elliot. Continue with your training regimen, I'll be making sure you completed it. Dismissed!'

The Acolytes stood at attention, saluted, cuing Kerrigan to do the same. The doors closed and the ship lifted off, leaving a concerned Kerrigan on the launch pad, wondering what she just got herself into.

* * *

The VIP's all looked to the Acolytes, as they began to speak to one another about what they had just seen.

Siesta felt a sense of unease deep in the pit of her stomach, "Did she seem to be behaving oddly?"

The four all looked to one another with concern as they all slowly began to nod.

"She was scared."

The group looked in complete disbelief at Louise. None of them could believe Kerrigan could ever be scared, given her steel resolution and equally dense stubbornness.

"She's my familiar, remember? I feel conflict, fear in her when she spoke to us that last time. She's hiding something from me, from all of us."

The group shuddered, as silence embraced them all.

* * *

**Mid-Evening **

**Tarbes Starbase – Command Center**

Kerrigan and Elliot sat in a telepathic conference call with Xeres, the Erebus, and Avarice on the status of the mining operation, most specifically the hostile actions near the bottom of the mine.

The Queen of Blades crossed her arms, 'Have we had any success in dealing with these Abyssals Avarice? Erebus?'

'No Mistress,' Avarice began, 'Every force we send down is destroyed.'

'Losses?'

Erebus took Avarice's place, much to her annoyance, 'Each team is made of heavily upgraded Roaches, the new Raptor Zerglings, Hydralisks, and led by Hunter Killers. We have deployed, and lost three individual deployments, for an equal number of confirmed kills. Each deployment is at, or above company strength, numbering from 180-250 units.'

Kerrigan facepalmed, 'That degree of losses is completely unacceptable! Only during the Great Wars or the Brood War did we suffer such pitiful kill/loss ratios. We still don't even know what is even down there!'

Avarice took back control from Erebus, 'Estimates on enemy strength is anywhere from half a dozen to 3 dozen Abyssals living within the tunnel system down there. They seem to be uninterested in coming up to other levels of the mine, which is doubly confusing.'

Kerrigan scowled, 'So we're back to where we started, knowing virtually nothing about the situation at hand.'

Elliot frowned, 'I suppose an expedition is an order then, isn't it Sarah?'

* * *

"Bishop, what did Kerrigan tell you?"

The priest's head lowered, "Kerrigan told me that she has no idea what the Abyssals truly are." Looks of shock dotted the onlookers, "She asked me what I knew, as she noticed my reaction earlier in the day." The entire party watched with rapt attention as Mazarin continued, "I told her what I knew, that these Abyssals were demons fought by the Founder himself."

Silence filled the cabin, as Mazarin calmed himself, before finishing his report, "Lady Kerrigan said that the Zerg weren't doing very well against them."

Julio had his face buried into his palms, "What the Cardinal is saying is true Your Majesty, all records of these Abyssals are accurate."

A look of doubt came across Henrietta's face, "Then why haven't I heard of them?"

The two holy men looked to each other and sighed as Julio answered the thousand ECU question, "You aren't informed because those records are sealed within the Holy Archives, and are only available to high ranking cardinals and members of the clergy."

Louise's eyes widened in a sudden burst of intellect, "Sarah is going to go down there to fight them herself." The other Acolytes paled, "We need to go help her, we're all sisters in arms-."

Henrietta grabbed her childhood friend's shoulders, "Louise! You can't, Kerrigan herself said humans can't survive down that far!"

"She won't be going down there tonight Your Majesty."

The group, now brought out of their near trance state looked to Umbra, "She is having an emergency meeting with the Erebus, Lord Tarbes, and the local Zerg Queen, Avarice."

Umbra continued on, at Henrietta's non-verbal direction, "Those creatures are a serious threat to Zerg operations as well as the war effort. They are coming up with a way to succeed in pushing them back, so that their mining operations can continue unhindered."

"How did you know that Umbra?"

The named Erebus 'sighed' before answering, "Mistress Kerrigan can see whatever any Zerg sees, hears, or any other sense. The Swarm's collective persona allows for this seamless sharing of information, with minimal time delay due to distance."

Julio brow furrowed slightly, "The Familiar Summoning ritual has that functionality built in, so that a mage can see whatever a familiar sees. It's plausible that this effect has been applied to the Zerg."

"Precisely Lord Chesare, it has always been available, but not at the level of quality that is currently displayed. It is possible that Void summons also behave differently than typical summons."

The Romalian crossed his arms, "The Summoning ritual is a sacred act, don't attempt to understand the Founder's wisdom-."

"I am a creature built on logic Lord Chesare," Umbra interjected, clearly annoyed by Julio's sudden attitude. "The Zerg have never had a religion in play because with a hive mind consciousness it was not even considered, let alone foreseen as possible, let alone even be needed. The only figure close to a deity the Zerg possess is The Queen of Blades, and before her, the Overmind. Mistress Kerrigan's rules and orders are _law_; no exceptions were ever made until we arrived here." Julio sat down, muttering curses under his breath as he slumped in his seat.

Only Umbra knew the full extent of the situation, and was careful not to let its knowledge slip out.

'_Be careful Mistress.'_

* * *

"Are you certain about this Sarah?"

Kerrigan turned to Elliot with a grin, "Of course I am, we need to stop these attacks and get our miners back to work ASAP. Since our typical methods haven't been working, the best solution would be to throw the ultimate wild card into play."

Elliot crossed his arms, clearly unamused, "That would be you I assume?"

"Spot on Elliot, gold star!"

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever strokes your ego Sarah." The former Ghost walked back to the Command Center, leaving Kerrigan alongside the Centurions, which had reformed as soon as the meeting had concluded.

"Centurions!" The eight member team immediately went to attention in unison, "Our mission is simple, destroy the Abyssals underneath our very feet by any means necessary. This mission is intended to gather intelligence on enemy numbers, strength, in addition to identifying the actual adversaries."

A talon was raised by one of the lower tier Centurions, 'Mistress, are we to kill one of these Abyssals and bring it back in order to study it?'

Kerrigan nodded, "If at all possible, yes. Just identifying their origin and their weakness should be plenty sufficient however."

'Our mission success parameters Mistress?'

"Eliminate as many Abyssals as possible, we don't know exactly how many are down there, but estimates say it could be anywhere from half a dozen to thirty six living in a small enclave. Watch each other's backs, and most importantly stay in communication with one another. We'll need to fight as a cohesive team in order to hold our ground should we become outnumbered."

Xeres raised his left talons, 'Will we have any support from other Zerg elements Mistress?'

"Affirmative, we will have four Medic Queens prepared to treat our injuries in the field, as well as a platoon of Raptors to keep our flanks secure once we head down there. Due to the small size of the caverns down there, heavy units such as Ultralisks will be unavailable. We will however be able to call in a Nydus filled with a large contingent of Swarmlings, supported by Infestors to bolster our numbers in the event of the odds being turned against us. Any other questions?" Kerrigan received shaking heads in response, "Very well then, Operation Purgatory is approved."

* * *

**Magic Academy**

"Everyone pack your gear, we're going to go help Sarah."

The Acolytes gave an incredulous look to Louise as she immediately began inspecting her AGR-14 for any potential damage, along with gathering ammunition and various weapon mods.

Katie had a look of concern on her face, "Louise, I'm sure Lady Kerrigan would never leave us behind or out of the loop when it comes to things like this."

"She would if it felt our safety was in jeopardy, that much I do know about her," Siesta replied, a scowl adorning her features. Katie turned away, and briefly nodded, she really didn't know much about Kerrigan, just rumors.

Jessica had a genuine questioning look on her own face, "Would Umbra lie to us, and most of all, lie to Her Majesty?"

"Not intentionally, Umbra doesn't have total access to everything Sarah knows," Louise answered, the tension clearly present in her voice.

Jessica and Katie simply looked at Louise in both confusion and concern, "What do you mean Louise?"

"Sarah doesn't trust the nobility, or anyone for that matter. She may be the Royal Champion, and Her Majesty's ceremonial guardian, but she certainly doesn't trust Her Majesty completely either. With the Church making an appearance, it's only cementing her natural paranoia. She hasn't even told _me_ everything, I can tell she's holding a lot back from me, and everyone else for that matter."

'_I don't even know where all the Zerg she has are coming from.'_

That made the Acolytes all take pause, and made them wonder just what could've made her so untrusting as the four jumped onto two Vultures, and drove at full speed for Tarbes.

* * *

**Tarbes – Mineshaft #6**

Kerrigan, now in her full infested form made their way down to the bottom of the world, or what might as well be the bottom of it.

"**Current temperature Wraith?"**

'Approximately 35 degrees Celsius Mistress, climbing at 1 degree every 750 feet.'

'_**It's certainly going to be a hot one, only a thousand feet down, and we're already hitting the upper end of human comfort.'**_

Even as the assault team made its way down, Drones and Erebi continued their mining and various tasks throughout the mines undeterred by the heavy combat presence. With Earth Dragons and Orc Demons running amok during the original exploration, it was not uncommon to see Roaches patrolling every main passageway, in addition to Hydralisks guarding major thoroughfares and the actual mineshafts themselves.

When constructing large tunnels, a specially made organic drill with Creep Tumors was attached to an Ultralisk, turning the siege beast into a walking tunnel bore, allowing for large passages between mineshafts in the event of a collapse or other hazards. This allowed work to continue almost non-stop, even with cave-ins occurring on a semi-regular basis.

SCV's were tasked with maintenance throughout the mining complex itself, repairing walls, reinforcing support columns, and assisting in various tasks within their AO. It was common to see them working alongside Drones, and often SCV Foremen were coordinating with the local Erebus for maximum productivity.

As the assault team moved progressively farther down, the SCV's become more and more scarce, the machines unable to take the growing heat for extended durations. After several minutes, the group passed through the two mile marker, the point of no return for humans and SCV's.

"**Current temperature Wraith?"**

'Holding steady at 85 degrees Celsius Mistress.'

As the group switched to a deeper mineshaft, the local Erebus came up to the assault team, 'Mistress, Centurions, I was informed of your arrival. If you will follow me, I will show you where you need to go.'

"**Lead on Erebus."**

* * *

The Acolytes sped towards Tarbes at the best speed they could manage in the near absolute darkness of a Halkeginian night. That was barely 110 kilometers per hour for the amateur Louise and Siesta, as they and their passengers screamed with every twist and turn.

'Have I ever mentioned that this is absolutely terrifying!' Jessica mentally screamed to her sisters-in-arms.

Siesta immediately smirked, and pulled her hands off the steering wheel, 'Look mother! No hands!'

Jessica's actual screams proved only to make Siesta cackle with glee at the sound of her cousin's torment, 'You're a real bitch Siesta.'

Siesta turned around, the same toothy smirk across her face, 'Love you too, _fairy_.'

Katie on the other hand was just fine remaining glomped onto Louise with her eyes slammed shut, much to the dismay of the latter Acolyte.

'Would you please stop groping me Katie! It's hard enough to drive this infernal contraption!'

Katie slightly relaxed her hold on Louise, but still kept her eyes closed as the group slowed to a stop in front of the Starbase's main entrance. They slowly moved forward, the Marine guards put up a palm in a 'stop' gesture with one hand, the Marine's C-14 in the other, causing the group to stop once more.

The Marine's visor was sealed, causing the voice to emerge from the suit's built in speakers, "Identification please."

Louise stepped forward, "Ghost Acolytes Louise Valliere, Siesta of Tarbes, Jessica of Tarbes, and Katie Verdun."

A slight hum came from the Marine's speakers, "Very well, your identities have been confirmed, do you require a guide?"

"No thank you Marine, we'll take it from here." He saluted, and opened the main gate, allowing the Vultures to enter the base.

'Well that was simple enough,' Katie managed to think to herself, only realizing that she sent out that thought to everyone in range. "Oops, sorry I'm still getting used to this telepathy stuff."

Little did they know, the group was being watched remotely from the Command Center by Elliot, who sat down. As he pinched the bridge of his nose he couldn't help but mutter, "Why are you here Siesta?"

He knew he had to warn her, 'Kerrigan, we have a problem.'

* * *

'Kerrigan, we have a problem.'

She perked up instantly, **'What is going on Elliot?'**

A sincere sensation of concern came through the line, 'The Acolytes just arrived on base, they came by Vulture, and are heading your way now. I believe they figured it out Sarah.'

A scowl grew across her face, causing the Centurions to take immediate notice, 'Mistress, is something wrong?'

Kerrigan shrugged, **"I think we're about to find out."**

* * *

The group of Ghosts made their way to the mineshafts, and after stowing aboard the lift; along with the new shift of miners heading underground they began to descend into the bowels of Halkeginia itself. As each team left for different levels of the mines, the Ghosts found themselves all alone with the Marine doorman.

The heavily armored trooper couldn't help but ask the obvious question, "What are Ghosts doing down here?"

Before the others could find a chance to respond, Siesta stepped forwards, "We're reinforcing Lady Kerrigan's forces to deal with the Abyssal threat."

The Marine, obviously unamused cross his armored arms, "That area is a no-go zone for humans, it's open to Zerg only."

"I don't think it'll be a problem."

"Now hold on just a minute here-."

The Marine grabbed Siesta's shoulder pauldron, causing her to spin around, and deliver a heavy Psionic kick to the armored figure's groin. The Marine let out a gasp of air before falling to the lift's floor, barely moving.

The Acolytes all took a step back from the now agitated and scowling Siesta, "No one ever touches me without my permission." The others nodded quickly, stepped off the lift, and began to search for another lift to the bottom of the mine.

* * *

"Lord Tarbes! A report from the mineshaft describes a Ghost beating down a Marine doorman when he attempted to stop her from leaving the elevator!"

Elliot turned to the messenger, "Do we have video?" The courier nodded, and handed a data pad to him. He was shocked to see Siesta, but most of all to see her Psi kicking the Marine flat onto his ass.

He couldn't help but chuckle, "That's my girl."

* * *

Kerrigan and the Zerg team made it to the bottom of the mine to find it looking more like a depiction of Hell.

'Watch your step, the ground fractures relatively frequently, one wrong move and you'll get roasted.' As if on cue, a Raptor fell into a small sinkhole that had appeared, its screams causing the entire team to freeze in place, 'Case in point.'

"**Serious shit, I don't know how someone could live in such a fucked up place,"** Kerrigan muttered to herself, before chuckling, "**What am I saying, Char was a complete **_**planet**_** that looked like this."**

'It's all about perception Mistress,' Oculus shamelessly chimed in.

The group walked into a wide open natural cavern, or it would've been wide open, if not for the multitude of Zerg dead strewn about the area.

Wraith put out a sense of discomfort, 'This isn't macabre at all.'

The Centurions and Kerrigan silently agreed, but began to wonder, one serious question remaining in their heads.

'_Where are the Abyssals?'_

* * *

The Acolytes were starting to question the logic of coming down to find Kerrigan in the first place.

"Why *wheeze* is it *wheeze* so hard to breathe!" Katie managed to push out of her lungs, the hot air stinging and irritating them.

"It's the extreme heat down here," Siesta replied matter-of-factly. "Ah! There's the lift that goes down!"

Louise turned to the group, "It's getting too hard to breathe, everyone, put your helmets on and use your air supply. It's only going to get worse."

The Acolytes complied, putting on their helmets and hooking up their air recyclers to them. The girls all pulled out heavy gloves and one by one, jumped for the lift's main cable. After they all hooked themselves onto it, they began to slide their way down in the fiery Abyss, their cries of terror and thrill muffled by their helmets.

* * *

'This smells of an ambush Mistress.'

Kerrigan couldn't agree more with Xeres, not only was the situation both incredibly demoralizing for the Zerg forces with her, it was incredibly eerie as well.

**"Like something out of a horror flick."**

Psionic grunts of agreement answered as the team moved slowly through the remains, with extreme caution.

Kerrigan immediately sensed a killing intent, as she silently searched for it a sense of dread came over her, **'Everyone, pull back, pull back carefully to the entrance.' **Brief confusion came over the group, visibly and otherwise, **'Go! Go now!'**

At that very moment the pile of bodies erupted, sending dead Zerg flying through the air as massive five meter tall saurian like beings roared a challenge and charged.

'AMBUSH!'

Kerrigan immediately screeched, and charged at one of the larger Abyssals. The larger creature bared its claws and teeth then screamed, blasting the path she was taking with sonic energy. As the bodies in the blast radius were literally turned into a fine pulp the Abyssal began to laugh, only to be interrupted as Kerrigan blinked back into reality and cut the demonic creature from shoulder to hip with her razor wings.

A smaller Abyssal came at her, and was summarily cooked by a Psionic Lightning blast from Kerrigan's left hand. At the same time she picked up a third with her powers and crushed it into a ball of dust and gore.

The Centurions were far more evenly matched however, Wraith and Oculus were acting as snipers, hitting Abyssals with heavily poisoned bone spikes in an attempt to slow them down. Xeres was directly in melee with one medium sized Abyssal, which had already disabled two of the lower tiered Centurions and quickly found himself losing ground.

'Need some help over here!'

In an instant the Abyssal's head simply exploded, the creature dropped to the ground, like a puppet with its strings cut. An echoing report caused Xeres to turn his head, and was shocked at what he saw.

* * *

"Good kill Jessica," Siesta complimented her cousin, while her 'borrowed' C-10 Canister Rifle's launcher mod smoked steam from the oversized kinetic shell it had just launched.

"It was rather gruesome," Jessica admitted, her eyes surprised to see the nod from the head of the Centurions towards them in thanks.

"There's a few coming our way!"

The two commoner Acolytes heard Katie's frantic cries as she hip-fired her AGR-14, shooting wildly, missing nearly every shot. When her weapon hit empty, she was struggling to hold her hands steady as she reloaded and found herself at the mercy of a now airborne Abyssal.

"NO!" Katie held her hands out to hold back the inevitable, only to produce a massive indigo wall of energy. The charging Abyssals immediately found themselves being blasted back into the main field with the Psionic equivalent of a wrecking ball, shattering bones, crushing organs, and finally killing them as they hit the far wall. Katie opened her eyes, and was immediately shocked at the level of carnage she had unleashed. There was also an unfamiliar feeling of heat in her body that made her feel a little more of a woman than normal, causing her to flush hot pink.

"Katie!" The junior Acolyte looked at her rapidly closing teammates, all with looks of awe in their eyes, "That was awesome!"

Siesta couldn't help but smile, "Your eyes are amazing!"

Katie immediately became lost, "My eyes?"

Louise pulled out a small vanity mirror and showed Katie her glowing pink eyes, which seemed to _radiate_ power.

"I-I-I-is that normal?"

The other Acolytes immediately began to explain just what had happened to Katie, as the battle raged on.

* * *

**'Erebus! Send in the Nydus, we need reinforcements!'**

'Acknowledged Mistress, Nydus inbound.'

**'Everyone, we have a Nydus coming in, be ready!'**

Kerrigan turned her head and saw one of the lower Centurions being turned into a Zerg pancake by the largest Abyssal of the entire group. The monstrosity was nearly 8 meters tall, with scarred armor plating and multiple eyes with only one thing in mind.

Death.

Naturally, Kerrigan charged the Alpha, and hit it with the most powerful Psi Storm she could manage. As she flew through the air, she drew energy across her body, and extended her wings; by using the hardened edges as electrodes she focused the entirety of the storm into a single bolt, which only grew in size and instability.

The Abyssal immediately sensed the danger and looked upwards to see Kerrigan flying at him with reckless abandon. He instinctively brought up an energy shield and held it in place. She instantly noticed that the shield would likely deflect the blast away, rather than be absorbed. She gave a feral roar, along with a matching grin as she dive-bombed the Alpha feet first.

Both saw the energy being redirected to her sharpened heels as they connected, sending out a shockwave that knocked everyone down and sending the recipient of the kick flying into a wall. Kerrigan landed in a crouch, clearly amused with the results.

At that instant, the Nydus came through the wall, dropping its Swarmlings into the fray to clean up what remained of the Abyssal enclave. Kerrigan casually walked over to the Alpha, which to her surprise stood back up and gave her a dark glare full of contempt.

'I'll admit, you've proven to be a worthy adversary.'

Kerrigan crossed her arms,** 'I'm amused to say the least.'**

A look of irritation dotted the creature's few features as he charged, impacting Kerrigan with a massive punch. The stunned Queen of Blades found herself flying into the wall close to the speed of sound. The Acolytes mouths' dropped, seeing Kerrigan literally get smacked around like an insect.

Their faces turned to horror however when her signature laughter immediately boomed across the cavern after the dust had settled. The laugh had not just unnerved the human Ghosts, but the Alpha as well.

'You are not human, what are you?'

"**What am I?"** Laughter filled both the minds and ears of all those around, "**I am perfection."**

Before the Alpha could respond, Kerrigan immediately appeared in front of the Alpha sending a psionic-charged punch straight into what everyone assumed was the creature's face, shattering it on impact. The Abyssal was blasted back into the same wall it went into previously, cratering it further.

Blood ran down Alpha's body, as he groaned in agony from the crippling injury. Kerrigan casually walked towards the Alpha, cracking her knuckles with a look of glee on her face.

'Are you willing to make a deal?'

Kerrigan cackled with glee, **"I have a demon begging me for their life. This as much fun as I need from you."**

A sense of gratefulness came through the connection to the Alpha, 'That is wonderful-.'

*CRUNCH*

The thought process was immediately halted by Kerrigan's high heeled boot crashing through the Alpha's skull.

**'What a sniveling weakling,**' Kerrigan turned to the Acolytes with a scowl, causing them to immediately cower.

**'I suppose a little punishment is in order, isn't it girls?'**

* * *

**A/N: This ladies and gentlemen, is something that I managed to push out this weekend, the longest amount of free time I've had in a long time. I have an Omake for their punishment as the next episode. It will be... dirty. That is all.  
**

**Thanks for reading!**


	11. Omake: Filler, not an episode

This is a Filler. Sorry! =(


	12. Bereaucracy

**A/N: I have decided to hold off on the funky Omake, simply because it became a far more dramatic time investment then I originally intended. So I have put a place holder in place as I put the rest of it together.**

**You're probably asking why a simple fan service bit would take a long time. The answer is quite simple, I have decided to make the fan service portion only a small part of the Omake, I came up with the idea of inputting both a non-plot AND a plot punishment into the Omake and the plot section is far more intense in quality control and content. We're looking at a 10-12k Omake, with 1500 words being dedicated to the dirty bits at most.**

**Reviews to be added here later.**

**I apologize for the delays in this, and until it's ready I will be inserting a placeholder for it. Now for the story! Engage!**

* * *

**Tristain Ghost Academy – Tarbes**

**Three Days Later**

The Acolytes stood nervously at attention, the events of the past days still very much in their minds and hearts.

Kerrigan paced around the Academy lobby, "Then I hope we won't be having any more problems, right ladies?"

Several versions of 'no' came from all four Acolytes in rapid succession, none of them interested in going through that hellish existence again.

Kerrigan's smile returned as she stopped in place, "Good to hear it. You will all be returning to the Magic Academy on the Vultures you _stole_ and be confined to its grounds until further notice. This will be your only free pass Acolytes; I will _not_ tolerate another case of insubordination." Kerrigan's grin turned feral as she stared the girls down, "Do you get me!?"

"We get you ma'am!"

She clapped her hands together twice, "Excellent! I'm glad we understand each other. Now get back to the Academy, and check in with the local Erebus, code-named Socrates. Do not deviate in your course at any time. I expect to hear you are on site and locked down by sundown, dismissed!"

They snapped to attention, spun on their heels in unison and marched out to the motor pool. As soon as they were out of eyeshot, Kerrigan leaned back on a nearby pillar for support. She suddenly felt a second presence in the room, a very familiar one, just meters away.

"I can tell you're watching Elliot, you can come on out now!" The former Confederate came from the shadows, a look of half concern and half fury adorning his lightly scarred face, "I know you think that was a bit excessive-."

"A bit Kerrigan?! You put my daughter through some of the most dangerous scenarios possible, along with the rest of the Acolytes with only each other to trust. What would've happened had something gone wrong?!"

"Nothing went wrong Elliot; they performed beyond my expectations in every way. You know that nothing strengthens the bond between brothers or sisters in arms then combat itself-."

He shook his head, "You are a heartless bitch you know that Sarah? They have virtually no training, even when we were both trained we had months, sometimes years of training before we were deployed on high risk ops, hell, what they went through bordered on suicide!"

"You think I don't know that Elliot!?" Kerrigan snapped back, "We don't even have months Elliot; we have weeks at most to train a competent Ghost Corps!" Her voice toned down as she closed her eyes in resignation, "You know as well as I there will be casualties before this war is over."

A loud sigh emerged from Elliot as he rubbed his eyes, "I know Sarah, but no father wants to bury their daughter. She should bury me instead, that's the way it's supposed to be."

She couldn't disagree with that viewpoint, even if she wasn't a parent, "We'll need a lot more Ghosts for the coming war Elliot; I need to put a plan in place to bolster the ranks as fast as possible."

He nodded, "We could get the Queen to sign an order allowing you to pull recruits from Tristain's standing military and reservists. In addition to finding teenagers for actual proper training, it would allow us to bolster our numbers fast enough while maintaining some level of quality."

"You're thinking of bringing in Magic Knights and Sky Knights as well I assume?"

"In small numbers certainly, as well as recruiting teenagers with airborne mounts. As a bonus, they could assist with the training at the Academy."

A slight hum came from Kerrigan, 'Erebus, inform Umbra that I would like to have an audience with the Queen as soon as possible.'

* * *

**Tristainian Highway**

**Mid-Day: One Hour Later**

The girls rode back to the Academy in silence, all still shaking from their 'punishment.' Louise looked to her waist, to find Katie cuddled up against her body.

'_She hasn't stopped shaking ever since we got out of there. The others aren't doing well either, it makes me wonder, what exactly did we face down there? Both in the mines and in that hellish nightmare.'_

As the Magic Academy's towers appeared in the distance, Louise looked forward with a grimace on her features as she rode her Vulture back to what would become her gilded cage.

* * *

**Tristainia – Palace**

**One Hour Later**

Kerrigan had arrived at the palace after a short hop by Overlord. Within a few minutes of her transmission to Umbra via the Erebus, she had received approval for an impromptu meeting with Henrietta.

She had purposefully not disclosed the intent of the meeting to the Queen to ensure that she would still actually have an audience with Kerrigan. Most people knew of her reluctance to wage the war that would be coming for them in the very near future.

The Queen of Blades frowned partially, _'Henrietta will need to be able to accept her responsibilities, not just as a Queen and a woman, but as the commander-in-chief of Tristain's military.'_

"Lady Kerrigan?"

She turned to see the Queen of Tristain in slightly more casual apparel, consisting of a loose, but still extremely attractive navy blue summer dress, and her signature silver tiara, with a sapphire centerpiece.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice Your Majesty."

Henrietta gave her heart-melting smile before lightly curtseying, "Please, come in Lady Kerrigan." Both walked into the Queen's study, Kerrigan being sure the doors were closed securely behind the pair followed as Henrietta continued, "I was surprised to hear your sudden interest for an audience. What has happened?"

Kerrigan crossed her arms, a slightly mocking smirk on her face, "Come on Your Majesty, it's not like every time I see you there's something going on, or going wrong, or going any number of ways."

The Queen giggled lightly into her hand, "It's usually accurate Sarah, and you know it."

Kerrigan shrugged sheepishly, "Okay, you're right something has happened, and certain things have come to light over the past day or so."

Henrietta gestured to the pair of wicker chairs and Kerrigan began to her tale of the fight in the mines against the Abyssals.

"So what you're telling me is that you managed to wipe out the entire Abyssal population in the mines virtually overnight? How did you manage to pull that off in such a short time span?"

Kerrigan smiled, "Simple really, I just used an enormous amount of force to take the fight to them on my terms, rather than let the defenders have complete control of the field. I rarely partake directly in Zerg operations, generally because it's unnecessary. This time was different however; I dropped into the mineshafts with a team of elite Zerg, including the Centurions and a platoon of Raptors. We pushed into the main cavern where we were ambushed; they leapt out from the corpses of the Zerg that had already been slain."

The trim and proper noble that Henrietta was immediately recoiled in disgust, "Such vile beasts! Using the dead as the means to spring an ambush of all things is a grave offense."

Ignoring the blatant pun, Kerrigan responded, "They're demons Henrietta, they aren't supposed to be politically correct, let alone decent. As I was saying however, we engaged them, and we took some losses early on. Most of the Raptors were nothing but chunks within thirty seconds of first contact. I ended up losing four Centurions; two were knocked out of the fight by injuries, while two were KIA."

"Kay Eye Eh?"

"An acronym, short for Killed in Action."

A look of concern crossed her face, "I assume their loss is not one easily bared?"

Kerrigan nodded sadly, "The production of Centurions is highly complex and resource intensive. Losing just one can manage to hamper the operations of an entire Hive. It would be like losing a Viscount or potentially a Marquis in war time."

"Is this a serious problem Sarah?"

"Not in the long term, we will merely have to push resources into repairing what we still have and replacing the fallen. The costs of unit production have risen steadily; the Erebus believes this may be related to the sudden individuality the Zerg as a whole have inherited."

Discussion on the Zerg's more recent evolution was interrupted by an expected question, "How is Louise doing?"

Kerrigan frowned, '_Here we go.'_

"She and the other Acolytes disobeyed a direct order when I sent them back to the Academy."

The monarch's eyes narrowed, "Explain Sarah, now."

She was surprised at Henrietta's sudden change of mood, "They took two of the Vultures, and drove to Tarbes. They went through the front gates, and began driving towards the mines." The sudden look of horror that started to dawn onto Henrietta's face caused Kerrigan to chuckle inwardly, "Elliot contacted me mentally of their arrival as I was heading underground to face the Abyssals. They decided to follow me, all the way down to the bottom of the mines."

"Aren't the mines off limits to humans past a set point?"

"They are Henrietta, but they continued forward with little intent for their safety. From what I was able to piece together after it was all over, they ended up going to their suit's sealed air supply, as it was nigh impossible for a normal human to breathe in the superheated air at all, let alone for a extended duration. I'm honestly surprised they survived, any hotter and it would be coming close to Char's extreme temperatures."

The Queen pinched the bridge of her nose in concern, and then frustration bubbled out in an angry scowl across her normally pristine features, "What was she thinking? I can't afford to lose her," she glanced back at the Wind Ruby on her left hand, "Not now." She turned back to Kerrigan, "Were they disciplined for their insubordination?"

Kerrigan made sure to leave a slight pause to ensure the Queen believed that the punishment had been administered reluctantly, "I knocked them unconscious with a shockwave, and while they were out, placed them within the simulators."

Henrietta's eyes widened, "And when they awoke . . ."

"They had no way of knowing what was real or otherwise," Kerrigan finished.

"Do I want to know Sarah?"

"Probably not Henrietta."

'_Best a time as any I suppose,_' Kerrigan thought, a hand coming to rest on her right knee, "Their struggles highlighted a serious deficiency within the military: We have no other Ghosts available at the moment, and we can't just have five members active."

"You wish to recruit more Ghosts?"

Kerrigan grinned, "Tons of them."

The Queen of Tristain crossed her arms, "What is it you propose Sarah?"

"A Royal Decree, allowing me to selectively recruit up to 300 potential Acolytes for training. Those with military training are preferred, and neither status nor peerage will matter in their selection, only their ability."

"That could earn some unpleasant responses from many noble houses Sarah, I hope you realize that."

"They won't be my main pool of candidates, their upbringing and obsession on personal and family honor makes them typically untrainable, at least in the time frame we have currently. Most likely we would recruit civilian commoners straight from towns and villages. Fallen nobles would be eligible to enter as well as recruiting female students from the Magic Academies within Tristain."

"Is there anything else Sarah?"

"Just one final condition," Kerrigan extended her right index finger, "Every man, woman, and child from the ages of 10 through 30 must be tested for Psionic potential within the next 3 calendar years."

"You want to recruit them at the age of 10?! Are you mad?"

"Your Majesty," Kerrigan entered a more formal tone, "Most children back in the Confederacy and now the Dominion are registered as early as 5. They can't even be recruited here until they turn 14, unlike back home, where they can be drafted at any time."

Henrietta rubbed her eyes, "Alright, I'll do that, although with considerable reservations Lady Kerrigan, I will have it within 5 calendar years instead. With the age raised to 13 through 35."

Kerrigan nodded, "I can accept that, although you seem to have some thoughts on all of this."

"I do Sarah, why do you want to register so many people?"

"We don't just need the best trained and prepared, but in a more morbid sense, if several of the Acolytes were to fall . . ."

Henrietta finished, "You would have replacements ready as soon as their personal effects had been sent home."

The look of utter despair on her face made Kerrigan wince slightly, "It's what needs to be done Henrietta, this war will be brutal and bloody." She reached and squeezed the Queen's left shoulder, "There are no winners in all of this, just those left behind."

Her sniffles stopped as soon as they came, "Alright Sarah, I'll get your Decree written up, but as a word of warning, the Royal Court will likely change it somewhat to benefit them."

Kerrigan shrugged with a mischievous smile, "Just remind them of who they are pissing off when they do so Your Majesty."

* * *

After Kerrigan had left for the Academy, Henrietta summoned Bishop Mazarin to her chambers. All the while, she began to think of what Louise had done to earn Kerrigan's ire.

'_What were you thinking Louise? This isn't a game anymore; it isn't our childhood games or the Siege of Alamein. It's real life, you could die, and I don't know what I'd do without you. Let alone how Kerrigan would react, without the familial runes power there's no telling what could happen.'_

"Your Majesty? You requested my presence?"

She snapped out of her daydream, "Yes Bishop, I need your help writing up a Royal Decree on Kerrigan's behalf. I was hoping you would have the insight required to," Henrietta shifted in her throne slightly, "Dodge any potential issues with the Royal Court in its drafting and execution."

"Lady Kerrigan has asked a substantial favor from you, hasn't she Your Majesty?"

Henrietta nodded, "I owe her a lot though, and it benefits her as much as the Crown. Naturally, I want to accept her request, but it goes against my personal beliefs about this war."

"Your Majesty?"

"Kerrigan wishes to recruit more Ghosts, a substantial number from both the active military, noble houses, magical Academies, fallen nobles, and from the common people. 300 people she can order into training based only on their ability."

"How does this vary from typical conscription Your Majesty?"

"There is . . . a second part of her request. She wants to have a significant number of the population tested to see if they have any psionic potential. Kerrigan was honest; she needs to have a pool of replacements she can pull from if the Ghost Corps suffers losses."

Mazarin's eyes widened, "How wide a search is Lady Kerrigan proposing Your Majesty?"

"She wants every man, woman, and child tested, from the ages of 10 through 30 within the next 3 calendar years."

Mazarin jaw began to hang before he slammed it back shut with his left hand, "That is a massive portion of the populace, and could bring repercussions across several houses. It would cover virtually every active duty soldier in Tristain and nearly all the able-bodied mages as well."

"That's what I told her, so I managed to negotiate for 13 years old through 35, over the course of 5 years instead."

Mazarin nodded, "That is most impressive Your Majesty, negotiating with someone as powerful as Lady Kerrigan is not easily done."

Henrietta shook her head, "We both need each other, more now than ever."

"Your Majesty?"

"She has more combat experience then any noble in Tristain, with the few possible exceptions being General Gramont, and the Duchess of Valliere. The latter is a close friend of Kerrigan's and someone who trusts her judgment. Her battlefield command experience is arguably the strongest in Tristain, if not all of Halkeginia. Umbra has told me of some of tales in the both the Great Wars and the Brood War. Did you know she defeated multiple factions on the same night, all the while surrounded on all sides by said factions with nearly every advantage?" Henrietta facepalmed, and asked the biggest question of them all, "Why does she defer to me all the time?"

Mazarin closed his eyes, "She needs you to both justify, and legitimize her agenda Your Majesty. Think about it, all the pieces landed just as she would've wanted them to be. As the familiar of Miss Valliere-."

"She would gain power and influence through the familiar bond, in addition to Louise knowing me for so long, gain influence through that as well," Henrietta finished.

"How much do we really know about Kerrigan? Other then she leads the Zerg, and is arguably a master of warfare."

"I believe we have more to learn about my Royal Champion after all, don't we Bishop?"

* * *

Mazarin smiled, "Indeed we do Your Majesty, indeed we do."

Umbra immediately felt anxiety from the tones the Queen and Mazarin we're using in their discussion of the Mistress. Cloaking itself, Umbra snuck away, easily dodging Musketeers and Magic Knights patrolling the Royal Residences. After reaching a side balcony, it uncloaked in the shadows and looked out over the capital.

'Mistress, I have news you may want to hear.'

* * *

Kerrigan found the replayed message from Umbra to be rather disconcerting, and most of all, incorrect.

'That makes no sense, as much as I want to be in control I have nothing to gain by taking complete command, by force or otherwise Umbra.'

'I'm merely relaying what I heard Mistress, although Henrietta was not as suspicious as she is now. We can thank the good Bishop for that.'

She nodded, 'Noted Umbra, keep your ears open to any further information. Do not attempt any reckless behavior or resist if captured.'

'If they intend to kill Mistress?'

'You have an escape plan prepared, and if that is not possible, you have a way to deny yourself to the enemy as does every Erebus in the Swarm.' Kerrigan thought for a moment, 'Otherwise, should something occur, use one of the local cave systems to make your way underground. Ensure you aren't followed, Kerrigan out.'

She crossed her arms, "What are you planning Bishop? And with all the opportunities you've had, why now?"

* * *

**Magic Academy**

**That Same Time**

Louise, Siesta, Jessica, and Katie were relieved of their weapons, equipment and their Vultures by the Marine contingent stationed at the Academy.

The contingent leader, a fallen noble from Tristainia began reading from a sheet of papyrus, "Ghost Acolytes Valliere, Verdun, and Tarbes, as ruled by Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char, Royal Champion of Tristain you have been found guilty of insubordination, willfully disobeying direct orders from a superior officer, theft of military property, and reckless conduct."

He looked on their faces to find them wracked with guilt and sadness, "As part of your non-judicial sentencing, you are hereby confined to the Magic Academy of Tristain until further notice or your deployment into an active combat zone. You will maintain your combat readiness and training regimen; Acolytes Valliere and Verdun will be permitted to attend Academy classes as scheduled."

"None of you will be permitted to leave the Academy under _any_ reason, these orders are equivalent to a Royal Order from Her Majesty the Queen. Said order can only be rescinded by Her Majesty Queen Henrietta I or Lady Sarah Kerrigan de Char. Finally, any attempt to circumvent, or avoid your sentence will be considered a criminal offense, and will trigger a judicial hearing to determine the validity of an Article 90 Court Martial."

"Do you understand and accept these terms?" All four Acolytes answered with a nod, "Please sign the confession sheets in front of you and return to your quarters. Dismissed!"

* * *

**Royal Court Meeting**

**The Next Morning**

"With all due respect Your Majesty, what Lady Kerrigan is proposing is madness! We can't hope to meet the goal she is asking!"

"I know Mott, and I value your judgment on this. She is unfortunately correct in what we require, we need additional Ghosts, plus the ability to recruit replacements should give the Ghost Corps the flexibility it needs to operate."

Count Mott frowned slightly, "May I be frank Your Majesty?" Henrietta grimaced and nodded, "This is a bad decision, and most of the Royal Court and high ranking families will agree with me. We need to spend our funds on tried and true methods of waging war."

"I rarely agree with the Count, but I find myself concurring with his assessment Your Majesty." General Poitiers said with a nod, "We can win this war with just our standing forces, but we would require these Zerg to do so. The conscription of 300 individuals is not the main issue, it's the testing and registration of all those tested."

Henrietta tapped her fingers on her gilded chair handles, "If I were to work out a compromise with Kerrigan on this, would most of the nobles be behind us on this Decree?"

"From what Bishop Mazarin told us, you are the only human who could Your Majesty. I doubt even one of those Elven heathens could come close."

She nodded, "Umbra?"

The Royal Erebus turned to face the Queen, "Yes Your Majesty?"

"Connect us to Lady Kerrigan; I want to hear her thoughts on this right now."

"Of course Your Majesty, please give me a moment."

Poitiers looked to Mott, "I'm still amazed that we can contact people at such great distances with these Zerg. Most impressively with no magic involved whatsoever."

"In theory, most Zerg could act as relays between regiments or divisions In the field. Erebi are just more efficient at that, along with managing Zerg troops in the field," Umbra interjected. "Ah, here she is Your Majesty."

"_You requested my presence Your Majesty_?" Kerrigan's thoughts were broadcasted out using the Erebus as a microphone and speakers.

"I have a question, could you make due with the 300 candidates for the Academy and hold off on the mass testing for now?"

Kerrigan's sigh came through the connection, _"In the short term Your Majesty? I could definitely do so; however we will have to do these at some point in the very near future. Might I ask why the sudden change?"_

"I see no reason why not; it's mostly financial based coming from the wealthier noble houses. It would be very expensive to do the testing while we're still at war."

A moment of silence passed over the connection, _"Alright, I can work with that, although for the record, we really need as many recruits available as possible Your Majesty."_

"Noted Lady Kerrigan, I don't believe we'll have any more hurdles in getting your Decree out and most importantly obeyed. You could have it as early as tomorrow morning."

A sound of approval came through, _"Alright, I'll get ready for a trip around to look for potential recruits, Kerrigan out."_ Umbra closed to connection as all eyes focused back onto Henrietta.

"Will that be something you can all work with?"

Several nods from the noble representatives at the table answered her immediately.

She smiled, "Then we best get to work then, shouldn't we?"

* * *

**Magic Academy**

Louise awoke drenched in sweat, another nightmare subsiding from her subconscious. She was unfortunately not alone in that regard, as she felt the other Acolytes cuddled up with her in Louise's own room for their own mental sanity.

She shook her head, and snuggled into Siesta's back, _'Well, I have class in the morning, better try to get some more sleep while I can.'_

* * *

**Hive Cluster – Tristain-Germanian Border**

'Is this truly the best direction to go in Mistress?'

Kerrigan shook her head, 'Of course not Erebus, but this is my only choice at this point. I'm not going to start kidnapping children and indoctrinating them, it's even less legal and ethical then the old Confederacy programs were.'

'Do you believe you can find 300 suitable candidates in time for the war?'

She turned to face the Hive Cluster's caretaker, 'No, I don't believe I will. I'm going to push as hard as I can and get as many recruits as possible. I am prepared however to not have as many as I would prefer.' Kerrigan shrugged, 'So what is the state of the Hive Cluster, I know I've been gone for some time now. Any dramatic changes I should be made aware of?'

'No Mistress, few things have changed as of late, although we are now fully mobilized and ready for war. We are expanding our underground pickets farther every day, and discovering more and more potential routes of attack.'

'Routes of attack for whom Erebus?'

'The Swarm specifically Mistress; while we can still use Nydus Worms for rapid transport, infiltration teams can now reach the surface of the continent from anywhere within the tunnel system itself. All of this is now possible without the use of Nydus Worms.'

'And should opposing forces find the tunnels?'

A deep chuckle came from the Erebus, 'There is no way a human being or magical familiar can successfully navigate the tunnels. They would become horribly lost and disorientated, making our highway their labyrinth.'

Kerrigan casually took a sip of tea the Zerg had 'borrowed' from a local noble's home, 'You also said these tunnels connect everywhere, just how connected are we talking?'

'Let me put it this way Mistress. If you ordered it, I could have a larva crawl up the Pope's shitter.'

Kerrigan dramatically spit up her tea onto the surface of the Hive in laughter, 'Good God Erebus, has Ultra's crude language been rubbing off on you?'

Erebus crossed his tentacles in a vaguely human gesture, 'That's one way of putting it.'

Xxx

**Tristain Magic Academy – Morning**

Siesta found herself waking early, her life as a maid and eldest sister keeping her body clock in sync, even with the night terrors she had experienced through the night.

She yawned into her hand, '_This will catch up with me in a few days.'_ As she turned around she found Louise still gripping her from behind, unwilling to budge or give any quarter.

Siesta smiled slightly, '_She may be a noble, but down deep she's just a little girl doing a grown-up's job.'_

She felt a poke on her left breast causing her to squeak slightly. Scowling, she turned to the source and saw Jessica sticking her tongue out, big heavy bags around her eyes.

'Good morning Siesta, didn't sleep well?' Jessica telepathically mocked her maternal cousin.

'Look at yourself Jess, you look like Hell right now,' Siesta retorted, a smirk adorning her features.

Jessica picked up her pillow preparing to throw it at her, only to stop at Siesta's slightly shaking head, along with a finger pointed to a glued Louise on her back.

'You're no fun.'

'Do you want to see her when she doesn't get her sleep? Do you really want to see that?'

Jessica's eyes slowly looked side to side, 'If I wasn't so close, I would,' as her nervous look turned into a sly grin.

"Guhhhhhh."

Both Siesta and Jessica snorted, and barely kept their laughter contained at Louise's pillow talk, only to find themselves staring at her bloodshot eyes, that _glowed_ with disdain.

"You both have a lot of nerve to laugh at me when I'm vulnerable." A dark, evil grin shot across her face as she grabbed her wand, "Perhaps you both need to be taught a lesson?"

* * *

Chef Marteau was directing the servant work flow, particularly that of the kitchen, his primary domain.

"Come on everyone! We are behind on our pastries and sausage, we need that prepped and in the oven ten minutes ago! Let's move-!"

**KA-BOOM!**

The mage lights in the kitchen flickered, pots and pans crashed, while various staffers screamed and sought cover from the debris falling from the ceiling and walls.

Marteau removed the Lemon Morang pie filling that had been pasted onto his face, and gave off a sound that sent servants running out the doors.

"**VALLIERE**!"

* * *

Both the Duke and Duchess of Valliere sneezed at the same time, causing both to look at one another and shrug.

* * *

'Mistress! There seems to have been an explosion at the Academy!'

Kerrigan opened her eyes and looked at the Erebus, 'It's just Louise, now go back to bed.'

'But Mistress, I don't sleep-.'

'Shut up Erebus.'

'Err, yes Mistress.'

* * *

**Shakuras**

**Hierarch Chambers**

Artanis cocked his head slightly, "You've come quite a long distance to see me James Raynor, I would be correct to assume that something unexpected has come up?"

Raynor smirked slightly, "Artanis, I assume you're asking simply to be polite?"

"Indeed James Raynor. This transmission from Kerrigan is most disturbing to say the least," The Protoss Primarch stood and walked towards his office balcony, "It raises many more questions than answers however."

The former Marshal found his smirk slowly shrinking, "I'm afraid I don't understand Artanis."

Artanis sighed, "I can see your confusion James Raynor, so I will be as clear as possible. Kerrigan's exile may very well restore peace to the Koprulu Sector, and end the Protoss' conflict with them. You are letting your feelings cloud your judgement-."

"Now hold on just a second!" Raynor interrupted, "We still don't know if her intentions are even hostile any longer, and can we even forget about the prophecy?!"

James Raynor!" Artanis' booming voice echoed through his chambers, "You have fought the Zerg for just a fraction of the time the Protoss have. Would you take the chance of her still remaining hostile if you didn't have such a personal interest in Kerrigan?" Raynor's silence spoke volumes as Artanis shook his head, "Now you see my point James Raynor. As much as I would like to trust the Dark Templar Executor, it is something that many members of High Council do not look favorably on."

Rage boiled in Raynor's mind as he bowed respectfully, "I apologize for wasting your time Primarch, if you'll excuse me." He quickly left Artanis' office, just as quickly as he had entered.

The Primarch looked onto the surface of Shakuras, "I may not be able to support you directly James Raynor, but I can make his journey easier to undertake. I assume that is satisfactory Executor?"

Zeratul emerged from the shadows, "Indeed."

* * *

**Tristainia – Palace**

**One Hour Before Kerrigan's Visit**

Bishop Mazarin found himself staring at a letter, one straight from Aquileias itself.

To: Frederick Mazarin, Bishop of Tristain. Member of the Holy Council of Foreign Affairs.

He gasped as he read the second line: From His Holiness, Pope St. Aegis XXXII, The Holy Arbiter of the Church of Brimir.

'_I didn't think I would receive correspondence so quickly from His Holiness the Pope!'_

He quickly, yet carefully opened the letter, ensuring that the protection spell that kept the letter's confidential contents from being misused did not activate, and began to read.

"_Brother Mazarin, I hope this finds you in good health and spirits. I just finished reading my agent's report of the recent events within Tristain and the State's recent activities. At the time of this correspondence, I am alarmed by the sudden influx of power and influence this 'Queen of Blades' has had on Queen Henrietta. As you are certainly no doubt aware, the Holy Inquisition, the Holy Council and Myself have been watching events with the utmost interest and concern._

_It is the opinion of Myself and these Holy Entities that this 'Kerrigan' is an imminent and clear danger to the Faith, and the Royal Lineage of Tristain."_

Mazarin's eyes widened, _'What are you considering Your Holiness?'_

"However, due to this creature's immense power and destructiveness, the Church as a whole cannot move directly against it. We simply know too little to risk alerting it of our intentions, or worse. All I can ask of you Bishop is to weaken its influence on the Queen in any way you possibly can."

Mazarin couldn't help but face palm as he read the final portion of the letter, containing the Pope's well wishes and his signature.

'_How exactly am I going to do that Your Holiness?'_

* * *

**A/N: And this is where I am cutting off the episode for now. I have been hearing you all want more stuff out, and this has pushed me to get this out now, rather than later. Now be calm, I am still among the living and still writing, unfortunately, my RL job has been an incredible time suck. I put 125% percent into it, leaving little to nothing for writing at night. I must apologize to my fans and casual readers alike for my poor output of content, and ask for patience. I will be finding out this week if I will remain on the job, or I'm heading back to the unemployment line.**

**EDIT: My internship has been extended again, they really like me apparently.**


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